A New Journey
by elementaryprincess
Summary: Ash journeys on to yet another region as he continues his quest to become a Pokemon Master after having fallen short in each of the previous regions. Serena sets out on her own journey for the first time, leaving behind the comforts of home to find what it is that inspires her. Rating may change as story progresses. Rating may change as story progresses. Will contain amourshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! Took a long break after finishing my last story, and decided to try a different game for my second story. In light of the new Pokémon remakes coming out just a couple weeks ago, I decided to do a Pokémon story! **

**Ever since the Pokémon XY series began, I've been partial to Serena in terms of shipping. That doesn't mean I see them getting together in the anime, it's just the easiest one for me to see. They complement each other so well, but I won't go too in detail here because that's one of the focuses of the story (but of course not the only one!). **

**A few things to keep in mind: **

**1\. I debated having Ash use his old Pokémon. I do find it kind of odd that he just leaves them with Professor Oak, but then I realized that if he had six old Pokémon, there'd be no point in catching any of the new Pokémon in the new region. I feel like Ash is still journeying; he's catching new Pokémon in each region, and when he finally wants to consolidate and form his final team, he'll have to go back and decide, but for now, I'm actually preferring him starting anew with each region. **

**2\. I will be borrowing freely from both the anime and the game. For example, the intro is mostly taken from the anime, with my own input and slight changes at certain places. This will change as the story progresses, of course; I'll be taking more and more of my own liberties, but borrowing from them does help to effectively establish the characters (if you read my first story, you'll see that I did the same thing; as the story progresses, there is more and more deviation from the plot). **

**So, yeah. Hope you guys enjoy this! I know this part isn't as original, but it will as I take it in my own direction. Promise! **

* * *

"Crew, prepare for descent." The captain's voice floated out from the plane's speakers, and the cabin crew began dutifully taking their places.

A raven haired boy, with a yellow mouse Pokemon on his lap, sat and glanced eagerly out the window at the new region he was entering.

"Ash, you and Pikachu must be over your heads with excitement right now!" The boy's companion, an older woman with her own Pokemon next to her, exclaimed as she observed the boy.

"Of course, Alexa! We're starting a new adventure, in a new region, with new Pokemon...what else can I be other than excited?" He turned back, and the woman noticed a glint in his brown eyes that made her smile.

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu echoed the sentiment, eliciting another smile from Alexa. They quickly fastened their seat belts around both them and the Pokemon on their laps, preparing for landing. Ash's eyes quickly darted back to the window as he took in the lush, new scenery that became ever more vibrant as the plane descended.

"You ready, Pikachu?"

"Pik-a!"

* * *

"_Hey..where is everybody?" Her voice warbled out and around the forest, but no one responded. "Anybody?" Suddenly, a bush began rustling next to her, startling her and making her take a step back. While backpedaling, she tripped over a rock, crumpling to the ground and yelping in agony. _

"_Ow!" She looked down at her legs One of her knees had been scraped and gored against the ground, and blood was flowing down that leg. Her ankle was also hurting, much more than she ever imagined, and so she started to cry. The rustling began again, and she tried to stand up to run away, but her ankle hurt too much to stand. All she could do was sit there and cry, and hope nothing dangerous came out of the bush…_

"_Wag!" A cute, little blue tadpole leapt out of the bush, and she screamed out again. The Pokemon looked at her, before hopping away on its two little legs, leaving Serena alone in the forest. _

_She tried to get up again, but couldn't. Her knee was still bleeding profusely, and she began to sob in earnest. _

"_I didn't even want to come to this camp," She choked between sobs. "Mommy!" _

_She turned her head as she heard footsteps coming towards her. They were getting louder, and louder. Shuddering, she closed her eyes, feeling the hot tears as they ran down her face. _

"_Hello?" Was that...a boy's voice? "What are you doing here?" She opened her eyes to see not a Pokemon, but another child. He had black hair and brown eyes, and wore a shirt that was yellow and red, the colors split by a diagonal line across his chest, and dark blue overalls._

"_H-huh?" She was still in shock, partly from the ordeal before, and also from seeing another person here. _

"_I'm Ash. What about you? What's wrong?" He evidently could tell that she was sobbing. She was sobbing so much that she couldn't even answer; she just pointed to her leg, which was now caked in hardening blood, and her ankle, which was burning in pain. _

_His eyes followed where she pointed, and opened wide. _

"_Are you alright? Here, this should help." He pulled out a handkerchief from his overalls pocket. It was light blue, with a bar of darker blue forming the borders, and had a Poke ball at each corner. He tied it around her injured knee, tightly. "There! It's a good luck charm." Ash waved his hands foolishly above the now wrapped knee. "Pain, pain, go away!" He finished with a flourish, and Serena tried to get up. _

"_Ow! It still hurts," She whimpered, as fresh tears formed on her face from the pain of the effort. _

"_Never give up till the end!" The boy said. He held out his hand to her. She reached hers out halfway, tentatively, and he reached the rest of the distance, grabbing her hand and pulling her up to her feet. She couldn't stand, not on her ankle, so she fell forwards right when she got up; luckily, she fell right into the boy, who caught her and held her steady, his arms around her shoulders. "See? You stood!" He grinned sheepishly. "That's why you don't give up till the end! Anyways, let's go back to the camp!" He slowly led her back, their hands still holding, as they walked through a clearing…_

"SERENA! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!" Serena's mother's voice rang out from downstairs, interrupting her from her dream.

"Ugh." She turned on her bed, using the pillow to cover her ears. Closing her eyes, she tried to get back to sleep.

_Maybe I'll dream about him again..._

* * *

Once the plane had landed, Ash began running for the exit right when it landed. He wanted to battle a Gym, first thing off the plane, but Alexa said that her sister was in Santalune City, not Lumiose City, where they had landed, but she would give her a call to see if she'd be ready to take on Ash when he arrived.

Ash tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Alexa to return from the phone booth.

"You ready to go, Pikachu?" He held up a fist, and a tiny paw returned the bump.

"Pika! Pika chuuu," Pikachu's cheeks fizzled and shocked, a sign that it was ready to battle.

"Yeah! We'll beat this Gym Leader-" Ash stopped as he heard footsteps approaching, and sprang to his feet when he saw that it was Alexa.

"Alexa! Are we going to Santalune City now? I wanna battle your sister, the Gym Leader!"

Alexa avoided his eyes as she replied.

"Um..actually, about your Gym battle...my sister said she's away from the Gym right now-"

"She's _away?_ When is she going to be back?"

"Once my sister goes on a trip...she's usually not back for a while. BUT," she interjected before Ash could continue bemoaning his fate, "she said it should be quick this time, and she should be back before the week is over!"

"Oh." Ash still couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice, and Alexa noticed.

"I'm so sorry Ash..I know you were looking forward to your first Gym Battle here so much."

"No, it's alright, Alexa. It's not your fault. While I'm waiting, I might as well get some training in, though!" He had barely finished his sentence, and yet he was already out the door.

Alexa ran to follow. "Wait! You don't know where to train yet! You've never been here before, Ash!" Another thought struck her as she ran after the boy. "WAIT, Professor Oak told you to go meet Professor Sycamore, too! ASH! WAIT FOR ME!"

* * *

"Fletchling, can you go wake up Serena, please?" A brown-haired woman, slicing lettuce and tomatoes for a breakfast sandwich, spoke to the little red bird Pokemon. "Of course, I've already tried...but, obviously, once is never enough."

Fletchling nodded at her exasperated tone, and flew upstairs. She watched it go before returning to her cutting.

At the top of the stairs, one of the rooms' doors was open just a crack, and Fletchling managed to squeeze its tiny body through into Serena's room. It flew over to the bed, where blankets covered a person, leaving only honey-colored hair, with a pink bow in it. Fletchling landed on the blankets, hopping up and down, but the girl wouldn't wake up, so it decided to use the one method it knew would work.

It threw its head back, and then thrust its beak forward at the girl's cheek.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The girl screamed, jumping up out of her covers and revealing her pink pajamas. "Fletchling! I've told you a _million _times not to wake me up like that!"

"Fletch?" The bird tilted its head, as if telling Serena, "Well, you weren't going to wake up, anyways…"

She glared at it for a few seconds, before finally relenting. The little bird was just too cute for her to stay mad at, anyways, and she knew it had meant well.

"And I was having the nicest dream, too.."

"Serena! Time for morning training!" Her mother's voice echoed through the staircase from downstairs.

"Right…" Serena answered, decidedly unenthusiastically, before burying her face back into her pillow. "Not again…" After slowly making her way out of bed, she reached for her window, turning back the curtains and opening it to let in the morning sunlight and fresh air. From her window, she could see her family's Rhyhorn, which was lying outside of its little wooden shed. "Morning, Rhyhorn!"

"Rhai!" It raised its head in response, and she smiled. "Ahhh. Hope something interesting happens," she exclaimed as she stretched.

She didn't know it yet, but life was going to get a _lot _more interesting, and sooner rather than later.

* * *

Alexa finally caught up to Ash, who had to wait a bit for her to catch her breath.

"Alexa, you okay?"

"Yea...I'm..fine…" She wheezed. "Just..been a while...since I ran…." She stood up, having caught her breath. "Anyways, remember, Professor Oak told you to go see Professor Sycamore before starting your journey?"

"Oh, you're right!" Ash snapped his fingers. "Okay, where's Professor Sycamore's lab?"

"It's right this way." She gestured towards the outer ring of Lumiose City, and Ash followed until they reached a large building with rows of huge glass windows. The gates outside had Poke balls sculpted on them, and a sign that read, "Sycamore Pokemon Lab".

Ash and Alexa pushed open the door, which led into a large, open hallway. It seemed to be deserted.

"Um..Professor Sycamore? Are you here?" Ash yelled out.

"Pika..?"

They heard a man yawning, and then footsteps in the corridor to the right. A tall man in a lab coat, which decidedly unruly hair slowly strolled into the hall.

"Yes, I'm Professor Sycamore." He extended his hand to shake Ash's. "Hello, Alexa. And you are..?"

"Nice to meet you, Professor! I'm Ash, from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pikachu!"

"Pika pika!" A little yellow paw raised up in greeting.

Professor Sycamore grinned.

"Ah, so you are Ash Ketchum. Professor Oak has quite a lot of things to say about you, you know. Anyways, as you probably guessed, I'm a Pokemon researcher working here in the Kalos-"

"GAR!" A large, blue dragon with a red belly stalked into the room. It's body was almost like a jet, aerodynamically streamlined and complete with fins on his back and the his hands.

"Wow! A Garchomp!" Ash stood up in excitement. He had a Gible back in Pallet Town with Professor Oak, and he knew that Garchomp was the fully evolved form of Gible.

"Yes. Garchomp lives here in the lab! It helps me with my research."

"What do you research, Professor?"

"Well, I research evolution. Let me show you." He led Ash towards the back of the hallway. "Alexa? Are you coming?"

"Oh, no. I have some business to attend to. I'll meet you later, Ash, to go to Santalune City?"

"Yeah! Thanks for everything, Alexa!" He waved as she retreated out the front door.

Professor Sycamore led him and Pikachu out to a backyard which was swarming with Pokemon. As Ash left, but as he did, he thought he caught a flash of something orange in the corner of his eye.

_Was that someone? _

"So, as I said, Ash, I research evolution. What if I told you that Pokemon could have an _additional _evolution, and that Garchomp helps me with that research?" Ash turned and shook off the thought; he was sure he was just seeing things, and quickly followed the Professor.

"Wait, are you saying that Garchomp...can still evolve?"

"Yes. That's my research. There have been reports of a few species of Pokemon that can evolve past their final stage..a form of evolution that has come to be referred to as 'Mega Evolution'".

"Mega Evolution?"

"Mhm. Most everything about it is a mystery..all we know is that a Key Stone is needed for the trainer, and a specific stone for each Pokemon that is able to Mega Evolve. Also, the trainer and Pokemon must have an exceptionally strong bond with their Pokemon. Oh, and, at the end of the battle, the Pokemon reverts back to its original state. It's really quite fascinating..but that's all we know about it as of now."

"Wow! So what Pokemon can Mega-" Ash was interrupted by one of the lab workers sprinting into the room.

"Professor Sycamore," she screamed. "Garchomp's gone rogue! It's destroying the lab!"

"What?" Professor Sycamore gasped in shock. "Where is it now? We can't let it get to the city...it'll destroy it in a matter of minutes!"

The lab worker pointed towards the hallway they'd just left, and Ash and the Professor hurriedly sprinted over.

There, in the middle of the room, was the same Garchomp they had just seen, except there was a red glow to its eyes; something was clearly affecting it. It was howling and writhing around, all while shooting out purple beams of energy from its mouth.

"Professor, it looks like something's hurting Garchomp!" Sycamore nodded frantically.

"Yes, but what-wait! There!" He pointed at a band that was fixed around Garchomp's neck. "That must be it!"

Just as they noticed it, however, Garchomp blew a hole in the front door, and promptly stepped out and flew into the city.

The Professor stopped in his tracks.

Screams flooded in from outside through the now-open front door.

"Oh dear."

* * *

Serena opened the fridge, reaching for a sandwich from the morning. It was dinnertime, and she was exhausted from all the Rhyhorn training she'd done for the day. Not to mention, her face and body were covered in cuts and bruises from being unceremoniously tossed from Rhyhorn's back.

"Serena! Look! Something unbelievable is happening," her mother called from the living room. Serena, already not in the best mood, snapped back.

"Oh, yeah? Well, something unbelievable has happened. To my _face,_" she said venomously as she entered the living room, pointing to the multitude of bandages on her nose, cheeks, and chin.

"Oh? Oh." Her mother averted her gaze, pointing at the TV. Serena took a seat on the couch.

"Mom, what movie are you watching?" She saw the Garchomp on top of what looked like Prism Tower, and it seemed to be shooting random Hyper Beams.

"This isn't a movie, dear. This is actually-" Her voice was interrupted by the newscaster's.

"We're live from Lumiose City, where a Garchomp has gone rogue and appears to be rampaging the Prism Tower! And-wait, is that? Yes! There's a boy and a Pikachu, and they appear to be talking to the Garchomp and trying to calm it down. More updates if we can get closer!" Her voice clicked out, leaving just the visual of the Garchomp, and now the boy came into view, along with his Pokemon.

Serena's eyes widened.

_Could it be? _

* * *

Ash slowly approached the Garchomp. He didn't know how high up they were...just that he had to climb a _lot _of ladder rungs to get up here.

"Hey! Garchomp!" The dragon turned its head, eyes still blazing red. "I know you're in pain! But I need you to let me help you!"

"GARR!" The Pokemon let out an umbral roar, before unleashing another Hyper Beam, directly at Ash. On the thin precipice, there wasn't anywhere he could dodge…

But then a blue blur leapt from behind him and threw a fluffy white ball that seemed to block the Hyper Beam. The purple laser exploded on contact with the fluffy substance, and smoke encircled them.

"Pika?!" Pikachu yelled out for its trainer and friend. "PIKA!" It scampered to the center of the crater formed by the blast, where Ash lay, dizzy but unhurt.

"I'm fine, Pikachu, but what was-" He paused as he saw another small Pokemon lying next to him. It looked like a blue frog, except that it had a ring of the same fluffy white substance that Ash had seen around its neck. It was also very badly hurt, having taken the brunt of the Hyper Beam attack. "You…" Ash was at a loss for words. "Thank you. I'll get you down safely, I promise." He picked up the Pokemon in one hand, and Pikachu leapt back onto his shoulder. In the confusion, Garchomp had flown up to the very top of Prism Tower.

Ash sighed. _More climbing…_

He ran back to the ladder, and carefully hoisted the frog Pokemon and Pikachu onto his shoulders, before resuming his ascent. He climbed slowly, gingerly, making sure that the frog Pokemon could stay on his shoulder without falling.

Finally, he reached the top.

"Garchomp! Please, we're here to help!" He carefully laid the frog onto the ground near the wall, as far from the ledge as possible.

"GARRRR!"

* * *

Serena and her mother were still in the same spot, riveted by what was unfolding on the news. They watched as the boy somehow survived the Hyper Beam, and now he was face to face with the Garchomp. The boy's back was turned to the cameras, so Serena had no way to sate her burgeoning curiosity as to who exactly the boy was.

Another purple beam emitted from the Garchomp, heading straight for the injured Froakie that was resting near the side. Her eyes widened; that would surely knock Froakie off the ledge…

But the boy threw himself in front of the blast, returning the favor that the Froakie had given him just moments ago. The rubble and smoke cleared, and the cameras showed the boy huddling over the Froakie, shielding it with his body. He managed to slowly get up, and Serena and her mother both sighed in relief. They continued watching as the boy got back on his feet, and slowly approached the Garchomp. He seemed to be talking to it as he walked, and for once, the dragon seemed to be listening.

"What is he doing...if he gets hit by another Hyper Beam at such close range…" Her mother shuddered at the thought of what could happen.

The boy was only a few paces away from the Garchomp, still appearing to talk to it. Suddenly, he sprang up and _onto _the Garchomp, bringing out another gasp from Serena and her mother. He went straight for the band around its neck, and quickly pulled it apart and tossed it off the building. The Garchomp instantly fell to its knees, exhausted by its ordeal, and the boy slid off the Garchomp, careful to land firmly on the ledge. The cameras began to zoom in on the boy and the Garchomp, and Serena began to watch a bit more attentively.

_There was something about him that seemed..familiar. _

The cameras turned to show Pikachu running toward its trainer, before turning its focus back to the trainer. But just before it could, Pikachu lost its footing on the ledge.

The ledge, weakened by the incessant Hyper Beams, crumbled beneath the mouse's feet, throwing rocks and Pokemon down from the top of Prism Tower.

"PIKAAAAA!"

The cameras instantly zoomed out once more. The trainer heard his Pokemon's cries and reacted instantly.

"PIKACHU!" Without a second thought, he sprinted at where Pikachu had fallen…

And leapt straight off after it?

Serena couldn't gasp; all she could do was put a hand over her mouth in shock. The camera followed them as they fell, and they were almost at the bottom.

She covered her eyes, unable to watch the inevitable.

Eyes still closed, she felt her mother tapping her.

"Serena, look!"

She opened her eyes just a bit, still afraid of what she might be seeing. But after peeking at the screen, she realized everything was okay. She saw the Garchomp, now with the trainer on its back. Apparently, it had recovered and dived down quickly enough to save the boy and his Pikachu and the Froakie. It _was _called the Mach Pokemon for a reason, after all.

Serena finally relaxed, leaning back on the couch.

"What a relief! I'm glad he's okay." Her thoughts ran back to her initial sighting, and her eyes went back to the TV. Were they finally going to show his face?

The cameras zoomed in, and Serena almost fell off the sofa in shock.

"That..that boy! It can't be!"

_But it was him. _

* * *

"Ash! Pikachu! You're safe!" Professor Sycamore, who had been watching from the base of Prism Tower, ran over the the two. "And you have..ah, so that's where Froakie went."

"Froakie?" Ash looked at the injured frog on his shoulder.

"Yes. It's one of the starter Pokemon normally given to trainers when they begin their journey here in Kalos, much like Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle in Kanto."

"I see." Ash began to wobble as the adrenaline wore off and his body remembered the aches and bruises all over.

"Ah! You must be tired from the ordeal. Here, stay in the lab tonight; I know there's not much left of it..but at least its somewhere to stay for the night."

* * *

After a good night's sleep, Alexa came by in the morning to lead Ash and Pikachu to Santalune City. Professor Sycamore walked them to the door, where they said their goodbyes.

"Well, Ash, I hope you and Pikachu slept well."

"We did, Professor! Slept like a log." Ash said gratefully. The Professor reached into his coat pocket and took out a familiar red device.

"I guess your real journey into Kalos begins now, doesn't it, Ash? If so, you'll need this. It's a Kalos Pokedex; I'm sure there are plenty of new Pokemon here for you to find, and that should help you out." He held it out to Ash, who accepted it.

"Thanks a lot, Prof-" A white fluffball flew across and hit Ash in the face. "Whuh?" Ash said as he fell over. He looked in the direction the fluffball came from, and saw the same frog Pokemon.

_Froakie_, he reminded himself.

"Froakie?" He quickly moved over and knelt in front of the Pokemon. "What's up?" The Froakie had a Poke Ball with him, and nudged it towards Ash in response.

"Frohh."

Professor Sycamore's voice came from behind as he caught up.

"I believe it wants to go with you."

"Huh. So, Froakie, you wanna come with us?" He asked the Pokemon. In response, the Pokemon grabbed the Poke Ball, jumped onto Ash's lap, and pushed the button on the capsule. Froakie was sucked into the ball in a flash of red light. It shook once, twice, three times, then sparkled to confirm the capture.

"YEAH! I GOT A FROAKIE!" Ash yelled out, eliciting chuckles from Alexa and Sycamore.

"Ash, if you keep celebrating and posing every Pokemon you catch, you're never going to make it to Santalune City, you know."

"Oh! Right! My Gym Battle! C'mon, Pikachu, Alexa, let's go!" He began sprinting down the street, yelling over his shoulder, "Thanks for everything, Professor Sycamore!"

Alexa shook her head once more. _Ash's exuberance was really something else_, she thought as her eyes followed him. Then she noticed something weird about where he was going.

"ASH! WAIT! YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY!"

* * *

"You're sure you want to do this, Serena?"

"Yes, Mom. I'm sure." Serena's mind was set.

"You know, Serena, there's a chance he doesn't remember you. It was quite a few years ago that you went to this camp."

"I _know_, Mom. But I'm not going just for him." Her mind quickly raced for another reason. "I'm old enough to be a Pokemon trainer, to go on my own journey. If he doesn't remember me, I can still go out into the world and adventure, and meet new people and go to new places."


	2. Chapter 2

"I apologize for the fiasco with Garchomp, sir. It appears our technicians may have made an error in that neckband for the Garchomp..."

A hologram responded to the orange-suited man.

"No matter. For what it's worth...everything went right until the application of the band. But, all the same, we will not have many more opportunities like that. Return to base; we will be discussing how best to resume this operation."

"Of course, sir." The hologram fizzed out.

* * *

For once, Serena actually woke up early. She'd dreamed about him again that night, the same recurring dream that she'd had every once in a while throughout her life since she'd met him.

_And now I'll get to see him again! _

She thought back again to the coincidences that had to have happened for them to be this close to meeting again, and couldn't help breaking out in a wide grin.

"Ling!" A high pitched call came from her window, and she turned to see Fletchling making its way into the room.

"No, Fletchling, I'm awake this time." The bird flew into and across the room, landing in her hair. Serena got up and over to her closet to find something to change into.

"Hmm…" With the help of her mirror, she decided on a black, sleeveless top with a white collar, and a red skirt that went a bit above her knees. "What do you think, Fletchling? Will he like it?"

"Fletch!" The bird whistled back at her.

"I knew it! Now, I just need a hat to match with it…" She reached up to the top of her closet to grab the hats she had. There was a pink fedora, a lilac sun-hat, and a red cap. She tried on the beanie, and instantly threw it back to the top of her closet after seeing her reflection. "No..I wouldn't like me if I wore that." She was about to try on the fedora, when there was a knock on the door. "Mm..come in, Mom!" She said from her place in front of the mirror.

"So, are you ready to go?"

"Hey, Mom? Which of these do you think I should wear?" She held up the sun-hat and the fedora for her mother to see.

"Hm...I'd say that one," her mother answered, pointing towards the sun-hat.

"Alright, this one it is!" Serena placed the fedora on her head. The base of the hat had a black band around it that was tied into a bowtie on the left side.

"If you weren't going to take my advice, why did you ask?" Her mother looked nonplussed.

"Well, because you'll always choose the less cute one! And I _have _to look cute today!" Serena replied, blushing slightly.

"I see..well, breakfast is ready downstairs, so come down when you're done packing everything." The door closed and Fletchling followed her mother out, leaving Serena alone in the room again.

"Okay..extra clothes, got them...water bottle, yea…" She made some last minute checks, before finally deciding that she was done. As she closed the door, she peeked at her room one last time, whispering "Goodbye, room!" before heading downstairs for breakfast.

Her mother was sitting at the table, watching TV while she waited. When she saw that Serena had come down, she hastily shut it off.

"Well, Serena, breakfast is on the table. Eat up! This'll be the last breakfast you have at home for a while…" Her mother began choking up.

Serena saw this, and quickly gave her mother a hug. "Mom, don't worry! I'll be fine; anyways, I'm only going to Lumiose City without a Pokemon; after Lumiose, I'll have one to protect me! And when I meet Ash, I'm sure he's not going to let me run around by myself or get hurt! If he's still the same person, he'll make sure I'm safe, I'm sure of it!"

Her mother nodded, but tears still made their way down her cheeks. "I know, honey, I'm just going to miss you a lot." Serena squeezed her mother a bit more tightly at this. "Okay, that's enough tears, you need to eat and go before it's too late!" She pushed Serena down on the seat and moved the plates towards her. "I made your favorite, a ham and cheese omelette!"

"Thanks, Mom." The two ate together for what they knew would be the last time in a while, but both wanted to keep it as normal as possible, talking about all the usual things families discuss at breakfast.

Finally, it was time to go. Her mother went to the door with her, and Serena could see that she was on the verge of tears. Now that it was time for her to go, she could feel herself welling up with emotion as well.

"Serena...do remember to visit home sometime, will you? It's going to get rather lonely here…"

"I will, Mom. I promise."

Her mom nodded, sniffling.

"Alright, then. Be safe! And don't forget to call home when you can. Your mother does really care about you…"

They hugged, briefly but tightly, and Serena set off down the path without looking back, her thoughts firmly on meeting Ash.

Her journey had begun.

* * *

Alexa finally managed to catch up to Ash, just before he went out the gate to Route 5 instead of the gate to Route 4, which was on the other side of the city.

"Heh. Sorry about that, Alexa. I was a bit too eager, I guess…"

"Pika pika!"

"That's..quite alright.." Alexa huffed. "Anyways..before...go...register...PokeCenter…"

"Um..Alexa, are you sure you're okay? You're panting an awful lot." Ash asked, pulling out his water bottle and offering it to her.

"I'll…catch up to you...at PokeCenter..wait…" She woozily made her way to a bench on the side to catch her breath. "That..way…" She pointed back towards the direction they'd come from, and Ash and Pikachu zoomed off, leaving Alexa still panting, but smiling despite herself, as she did every time Ash's ebullient nature showed itself.

* * *

Ash stepped into the Pokemon Center and made his way straight to the counter.

"Good morning. Welcome to the Pokemon Center. Would you like to rest your Pokemon?" The nurse behind the counter asked as they approached.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy, but I was actually hoping you could help me register for the Kalos League?" Ash asked.

"Of course! Follow me." She brought them to a large screen on the left counter. "If you please, just touch your Pokedex onto this screen."  
Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out the Pokedex that Professor Sycamore had given him, and placed it on the center of the screen. A box formed around his Pokedex on the screen, and after a few moments, his portrait came up on the top right corner.

"Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, is now registered as an entrant to the Kalos League." A mechanical voice buzzed out from the screen.

"ALRIGHT!" Ash and Pikachu high-fived, before the voice sounded again.

"Current number of badges: zero."

"Oh, come _on_, you didn't have to say that out loud!" Ash grinned sheepishly at Nurse Joy before putting the Pokedex back into his pocket. She reached below the counter and pulled out a small black case with a Poke Ball logo on it.

"Of course, each registrant also is presented with an official Kalos League badge case. Once it is full, present it as your ticket to the Kalos Pokemon League." She handed it over to Ash, who pocketed it. "You're all registered, now! Good luck, train hard, and always do your best."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash was about to take a seat in the lobby when Alexa came through the doors. "Alexa! You feeling better now?" Ash hurried over to check on her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Anyways, did you register all right?"

"Yup, and we're all ready to take on our first Gym Leader and the Kalos League!" Ash pumped a fist in excitement, bringing out a laugh from Alexa.

"Alright, then, let's head to Route 4 so we can get you to Santalune City. You might want to grab a few Poke Balls while you're here; you're bound to find some new Pokemon on the way there!"

Ash slapped himself on the head for not thinking of that.

"Will do. Thanks, Alexa!" He hurried to the market section of the Pokemon Center and picked up a ten-pack of Poke Balls, before running back across the lobby and following Alexa out the sliding doors and back into the city, towards Route 4.

* * *

Serena paused as she neared the Pokemon Lab. Or, at least, she thought it was the Pokemon Lab. The sign said _Sycamore Pokemon Lab_, but the building looked to be quite...well, destroyed. She slowly walked through the hole in the front door.

"H-hello? Is Professor Sycamore here?" She jumped as she heard footsteps coming into the hall, but relaxed when she saw the Pokemon Professor with his wild hair and white lab coat.

"Yes, that would be me. I'm sorry about the state of the lab. I'm sure you've heard by now of what happened yesterday…" Sycamore ran a hand tiredly through his hair. "It's going to take quite a while to fix. So, how may I help you?"

"I'm Serena, sir. Um…" she paused. "That trainer on the news, yesterday, is he still here?"

"Oh, you mean Ash?" Serena's eyes glowed at the mention of his name.

_I knew it! It is him!_

"Oh, was that his name?" She tried to hide the look on her face, unsure if Sycamore had noticed or not. If he did, he wasn't telling.

"Yes, I believe so. He ran off for Santalune City, to challenge the Pokemon Gym there. I take it you were looking to begin your journey as well?" Serena nodded eagerly. "Then you'll need this." He took out a red device and handed it to her.

"Um, what is this, Professor?"

"It's a Pokedex. It contains data on all the Pokemon in this region. Of course, it only has some of the data for each Pokemon; once you catch a particular one, the information will update itself. Every trainer has one with them for their travels!"

"Wow, that sounds great! Thanks, Professor."

"And now, for the exciting part...come on in, guys!" He called out to an adjacent hallway, and a few sets of light footsteps grew louder and louder.

Serena gasped as three small Pokemon entered the room. There was a golden-red fox with pointed ears, a green Pokemon that looked like a small hedgehog, except with only a few long, sharp spikes on its head, and a blue frog Pokemon that had a fluff-like substance around its neck.

"Well, why don't you use the Pokedex to see which one of these you want?"

Serena knelt down to look each Pokemon in the eye before taking out the Pokedex. Focusing the viewer on the fox first, she waited for the Pokedex to react.

"Fennekin, the Fox Pokemon. Fennekin expels hot air that can reach nearly 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It likes to snack on twigs."

"Aw, you're so cute!" Serena reached out to pet the Fennekin's forehead.

"Kinn!" The fox cooed out in satisfaction, breathing out a little puff of smoke. Serena turned her attentin to the next Pokemon, the green hog-like Pokemon.

"Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokemon. Chespin can flex the soft spikes on its head, making them so stiff and sharp, they can even pierce through stone."

"And you're vey cute too, Chespin." The Chespin stood up straight, hardening the spikes on its head. Serena reached out to stroke its head, and it softened its spikes and rubbed up against her hand.

"Chesss!"

Finally, Serena turned to the last Pokemon, the blue frog.

"Froakie, the Bubble Frog Pokemon. From its chest and back, Froakie creates bubbles called Frubbles, which act as a cushion and soften the blow of an opponent's attack."

"Frohh!" The frog tried to straighten up, but got a bit too excited and accidentally jumped backwards, landing on its back. "Kee…," it muttered as it got back to its feet.

Finally, Serena got to her feet.

"They're all so cute…"

"Yes, Serena, but it's time to make a decision. Which will you take with you?" Serena looked back and forth between the three Pokemon, which were all preening and showing off. Fennekin was blowing hot air through its mouth, Chespin was strengthening its spines, and Froakie was throwing Frubbles everywhere.

"It's a hard decision..but I decided before I came here." She slowly got down to her feet and faced one of the Pokemon. "Fennekin? Would you like to come on my journey with me?" She held out her arms to the little fox, which paused for a moment.

"Fenn?" It seemed to be a bit surprised that she had chosen it.

"Yes, Fennekin! I choose you." The Pokemon leapt into her arms, and she would soon be on her way towards Santalune City, her newest friend in tow.

* * *

Ash and Alexa made their way through Route 4 without incident. Ash saw a few wild Pokemon, but nothing new; they were all Pokemon he'd seen in other regions, like Ledyba, Combee, and Skitty. It was late evening by the time the two of them first stepped foot into Santalune City. The city was small, but quite busy, with many people strolling about the cobblebrick roads and streets. There were apartment buildings aplenty along the roads, and Ash soon found himself at the center of the city.

There was a large square with a huge Roselia fountain. The Roselia stood on a platform above a small pool, and water shot out from each of its rose-hands. Ash stood right in front of it, loudly proclaiming his purpose.

"Alright! Now that we're in Santalune City..it's time for my first Gym Badge!"

Alexa laughed.

"Well, do you know where the Gym _is_?"

"Nope! But that's okay! I'll run around the city until I find it. I figure stuff out best when I-" Ash had gotten on the edge of the pool for his latest announcement, and just before he could finish it, managed to slip and fall straight in the pool.

_Splash. _

"Thanks so much for the great picture!" A voice Ash hadn't heard before said, although he wasn't sure if it was because his ears were full of water or not.

"Um.."

"You two look like you're having fun!" A woman with blonde hair, wearing a white tank top and safari pants with a camera slung around her neck and in her hands, seemed to be addressing them. "Anyways, I heard you say something about the Santalune Gym. If you're planning to challenge it, you should take a right at that corner."

"Really? Awesome, thanks! I'm just going to..er...change into some dry clothes first. Could you point me towards the Pokemon Center, too?" The woman pointed in the opposite direction.

"Go the other way, and take a right and then the next left, and you should see the Pokemon Center."

"Alright, thanks! Coming, Alexa?"

"Nah. I've..got a few errands to run first. I'll see you tomorrow morning, when you challenge the Gym!" Ash missed the knowing look that both of the women gave each other.

"What? But I want to battle it _now_!"

"Sorry, Ash, but Gyms have operating hours now. It's getting late, and you should get some rest at the Pokemon Center before you challenge the Gym tomorrow. See you!" She waved and turned in the opposite direction, leaving Ash to find the Center.

The other woman watched as Ash took off down the road towards the Pokemon Center, and smiled.

_Tomorrow's battle should be interesting_, she thought to herself.

* * *

The moon was out, bathing the world in her pale light. Serena hugged Fennekin to her chest a little tighter as the forest began to darken. She was on Route 4, having set off from Lumiose City towards Santalune City to track down Ash, but having been well behind, she hadn't been able to make it all the way down the dark road.

She shivered to herself as she wandered along the road, surrounded by nothing but trees and darkness.

"I hope this doesn't mean we have to sleep out in the open tonight…" She'd neglected to bring a tent, mostly because she had counted on being able to find Pokemon Centers to stay in. But it was getting dark, and there didn't seem to be any nearby. She was starting to get worried, when she finally saw a sign. She hastily made her way over to read the sign.

"Pokemon Center: 400m," it said.

"Thank goodness! Fennekin, we'll be able to rest soon." She followed the sign and, sure enough, in a few minutes, a familiar red-roofed building appeared.

After figuring things out with Nurse Joy, Serena took the elevator up to her room. She walked in, slinging her bag onto the bed before lying down on it, and also releasing Fennekin from its Poke Ball.

"Fenne!" The fox chirped happily.

"Yes, you get to stay out tonight. I'm so tired..." She leaned back on the pillow and closed her eyes.

_Finally, tomorrow I'll get to actually meet him again! I wonder if he'll remember me..what will he remember about me? What's going to be his impression of me? He's going to be so surprised after all these years...I wonder how he's going to react to seeing me! Oooh, I can't wait for tomorrow._

Fennekin noticed the smile on its trainer's face.

"Fenne-kin?" Its voice had an inquiring tone to it. Serena sat up, and quickly delved into the story of Ash, leaving no details out for her Pokemon to hear. By the time she had finished, it was very late, and the two slowly nodded off, cuddling together on the small bed.

* * *

Serena woke the next morning of her own accord, Fennekin still breathing lightly next to her. She rubbed her eyes as brilliant rays of sun burst through the window, yawning and sitting up. Her movements woke up Fennekin, as well, which yawned loudly as it got up.

"Ah, this is so nice! No early Rhyhorn racing, and no Fletchling pecking me to wake me up...it's such a relaxing way to start the day." Serena quickly packed her things into her bag, before making her way downstairs to get breakfast for the two of them. They sat outside on a patio as they ate, Serena with a cup of tea and Fennekin with its bowl of food.

"Well, Fennekin, did you get enough?" Serena asked as she put down her empty teacup.

"Fenne! Kin!" It cried back happily, pointing towards its empty bowl.

"Alright, let's go! Santalune City should be really close...just a bit further, and I'll finally get to see him!" Fennekin jumped up onto her shoulder, and the two were back on the road.

* * *

Ash was already out of bed and making final preparation for his Gym Battle.

"Pikachu, you ready to go?"

"Pika pika!" The mouse squeaked back, generating some electricity on the red dots on its cheeks.

"Alright! Let's go win this!" He sprinted right out of the Pokemon Center and towards the Gym. It wasn't hard to find; the building was much fancier, with an exterior that looked like it had been plated gold, and with large, multipaneled glass windows. The roof was green, and outside was the pillar with the logo that matched that which was on Ash's badge case.

"This must be it." Ash stepped forward and pushed in the door. After closing it behind him, he turned and found Alexa and another woman waiting for him.

"Alexa! And..oh, you?" Ash remembered her. "You're the woman who took the picture of me falling in the fountain...aren't you?"

Alexa answered for her. "Yup. And she's also my sister, Viola."

Ash paused as what Alexa was saying registered with him.

"Then you're the Santalune Gym Leader!" The woman nodded. "Alright, then, I challenge you to a Pokemon Battle!" Ash pointed at her with a stubborn index finger.

"Sure. Come on in, I'll show you the battlefield."

* * *

"That determined expression...that glint in your eye says that you'll be up to the challenge of facing me. Fantastic! Whether it's the tears of frustration following a loss..or the blossoming of joy following a win...they'll both be picture-perfect moments! Now, let's battle! My lens is always focused on victory; I won't let anything ruin this shot!" Viola yelled across the battlefield.

Ash turned his cap backwards in response.

"Don't worry, Viola. I'll make sure you're pictures are of my victory!"

"The battle between Ash, the challenger, and Viola, the Santalune Gym Leader, will now begin! Each trainer will have two Pokemon, and battle will continue until one trainer is out of Pokemon to battle with!" Both Ash and Viola nodded at the referee. "Only the challenger may substitute Pokemon; Viola, send out your Pokemon first."

Viola reached into her camera bag and pulled out a Poke Ball.

"Surskit, go!"

"A Surskit, huh. That's a bug-water type I've seen before. Alright, then. Pikachu, you're on."

The referee raised her hand to signal the start of the battle.

* * *

Serena stopped before the door. She knew it led out to the battlefield, and the people in the Gym had told her that someone was challenging the Gym Leader right now.

_It has to be him._ She quickly made sure her hair was right, and that everything was perfect, before pushing the door open and stepping out to the battling area.

"Um…" Her eyes quickly scanned the place. The field was nothing special, just a typical dirt battlefield with the normal markings. The room seemed to be built like a greenhouse, with glass serving as both the walls and the roof. But she wasn't interested in that. Her eyes scanned for what she wanted to see...until she saw him.

"Alright then, Pikachu. You're on."

_There he is! It's Ash! _She began walking towards him, when someone interrupted her.

"Can I help you?" Serena stopped herself to look at the person who had called out to her.

"Um..I was hoping if it would be okay if I stopped by and watched them battle?"

"Of course! That'd be just fine. Just come here and watch with me."

"Thanks! I'm Serena, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Serena. I'm Alexa. That's Ash challenging my sister, Viola...but judging by how eager you were coming in, I'm going to guess that you already know Ash." She winked at the younger girl, who could only open her mouth in surprise.

"Anyways, take a seat. The battle's just about to start."

The two took their seats as the referee's shout rang out.

"Now..battle...begin!"

* * *

"Alright, Pikachu, let's start this off with Electro Ball!" Pikachu glowed yellow and a ball of pure electricity formed at the tip of its tail, which Pikachu flung at the Surskit.

"Surskit, dodge it, and use Quick Attack!" Viola's surskit nimbly sidestepped the oncoming ball and dashed at Pikachu, almost blind to the eye.

"Jump up and dodge it, Pikachu; it' going too fast to stop!" Pikachu dutifully leapt up, and Surskit dashed past harmlessly, skidding to a stop along the dirt. "Now, Thunderbolt!" Pikachu glowed once more, and a bolt of electricity this time burst out of its cheeks and headed straight for Surskit.

"Dodge it again, Surskit! Then hit them with a Sticky Web!" Just as the Pokedex entry had described, Surskit really did move as if it was on skates. It almost carelessly dodged the incoming bolt, and simultaneously shot out a sticky substance at Pikachu, sealing it to the floor.

"Arg! No!" Ash yelled out as he noticed that Pikachu was immobile. "Pikachu! Try to use Thunderbolt to get rid of the webs!"

"Pika_chuuuuuu_!" Pikachu lit up with energy, but the web stayed intact. A smile cracked on Viola's face.

"A picture perfect opportunity! Surskit, Ice Beam!" A bluish beam shot through the air, and stuck in place, Pikachu had nowhere to go.

"Ahh! Pikachu, hang in there!" Pikachu grimaced; the Ice Beam had done quite a bit of damage.

Ash's mind raced furiously. _Think Ash! How do you get out of this? _An idea suddenly formed in his head.

"Pikachu! Use Iron Tail to harden your tail, then use the sharp tip to cut through the web!" Pikachu's tail glowed once more, except silver this time as it prepared to use the move. The strengthened tail easily slashed through the web, and Ash grinned as his tactic had worked. "Alright, now, Quick Attack!" Pikachu dashed at Surskit much the same way the other Pokemon had dashed at it.

"Sidestep it, Surskit!"

"Now, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu's Quick Attack had gotten it into close range with the Surskit, and after dodging the Quick Attack, it was too close to dodge the Thunderbolt.

Surskit's eyes widened as the bolt hit struck it dead-on, and collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Surskit is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" The ref held up a flag, and Viola returned Surskit to its Poke Ball.

Watching from the sidelines, Serena heard Alexa gasp.

"Very few people can take on my sister the way Ash has so far...I can see why Professor Oak recommends him so highly." Alexa rubbed her chin. "I wonder what's going to happen next."

Serena, meanwhile, was in awe. Ash just seemed so.._cool_, especially the way he and Pikachu worked together so seamlessly.

_He really is everything I thought he would be…_

Her attention turned back to the battlefield as Viola sent out her next Pokemon.

"Vivillon! I choose you!" A Poke Ball was thrown, and out popped a Vivillon. Serena held up her Pokedex at it.

"Vivillon, the Scale Pokemon. Vivillon are skillfully able to find a source of water. It is said that you'll find a spring if you follow a Vivillon."

It looked like a large butterfly, with a gray and purple-pink pattern on its wings.

"Yon!" The butterfly screeched out as it surveyed the field.

"Leader Viola has sent out Vivillon! Will the challenger switch Pokemon?"

"Pikachu, come back." Pikachu scampered back to Ash's side. "Froakie, your turn!" He threw out his own Poke Ball, and out came Froakie.

"Froh!"

"Battle...begin!"

"Vivillon! Gust!" Vivillon soared higher, then began beating its wings furiously, generating a powerful current that blew against Froakie.

"Hang in there, Froakie!" Ash yelled out. Froakie tried to dig into the ground, but the gust was too powerful. He was slowly being pushed backwards.

"Vivillon, stop the gust!" The suddenness of the stoppage caused Froakie to fall over on its face, as the forward momentum it was generating against the current didn't stop. "Now, SolarBeam, before it can recover!"

"Froakie! You gotta get up! SolarBeam will give you a bit of time-" Ash's words were cut off as the said SolarBeam crashed down on Froakie. He looked up, and realized he was wrong.

Ash had forgotten that the building was like a greenhouse. With so much sunlight pouring through, Vivillon could power up its SolarBeam almost instantly.

_Well..that's going to be a problem. _The dust cleared, and Froakie lay on the floor, unable to battle.

"Gah! Froakie, return!" The Pokemon was sucked back into its Poke Ball. "Get a good rest, Froakie. I'm sorry; I made a mistake, and it cost you." Ash put the Poke Ball back on his belt and closed his eyes.

_I need to be more careful...I can't let Pikachu get hit with a SolarBeam! _

Ash knelt down to face Pikachu.

"Alright, buddy. It's your turn. Don't let her hit you with a SolarBeam."

"Pika!" Pikachu darted back onto the battlefield.

"Vivillon, Gust again!" The current began again, blowing Pikachu back.

"Keep your footing, Pikachu!" Pikachu tried, but just as with Froakie, couldn't hold its ground. It began to be slowly pushed back, leaving fresh drag marks in the dirt. Ash knew what was coming; if he predicted the SolarBeam and told Pikachu to relax, the Gust would blow Pikachu right into the wall; but if he had Pikachu try to push against the Gust, then she would suddenly cut it off and finish him with a SolarBeam.

"It's over, Ash. I like you, but during a battle, a trainer must be cold as steel!"

Suddenly, something in Ash's head clicked at hearing steel.

"Pikachu! Use Iron Tail and then use your tail to anchor yourself!"

Pikachu's tailed glowed one more time, and Pikachu quickly stuck it into the ground. Finally, it seemed that Pikachu had some footing.

"What? Fine, but you're just making yourself a sitting duck. Vivillon, finish it with SolarBeam!"

"Pikachu! It has to go up to get more sunlight; aim a Thunderbolt there!"

"CHUUUUUU!" Pikachu released a bolt with as much energy as it had left, and it sped through the air.

"Vivillon! No! Dodge-" It was too late; Viola's Vivillon couldn't react quite fast enough, and the Thunderbolt struck one of its wings. It fluttered slowly before landing on the floor.

"Yeah! Good one, Pikachu. Now, finish it off with an Electro Ball!"

"Vivillon! Signal Beam!" Pikachu whipped its tail out of the floor and somersaulted into the air towards Vivillon, generating the Electro Ball on its tail once more. Without one of its wings, Vivillon could merely crawl on the floor, not nearly fast enough to dodge Pikachu's attack. The Electro Ball crashed into Vivillon, but just before, the butterfly released a rainbow colored beam at the mouse, and the area exploded into a dome of dust. As it slowly cleared, Ash and Viola's eyes were focused intently on the spot where the two Pokemon had been.

Vivillon lay on its back in the dirt, unable to battle. Pikachu was panting beside it, clearly exhausted and on its last legs.

"Vivillon!" Viola screamed out.

"Vivillon is unable to battle. Pikachu wins! Leader Viola is out of usable Pokemon; the challenger from Pallet Town, Ash Ketchum, wins the battle!"

Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder, and was rewarded with a hug.

"Great job, Pikachu!" The two were celebrating when Viola approached them from her side of the field.

"Ash. Aren't you forgetting something? As proof of your victory against me, here's the Bug Badge." The referee brought out a felt-lined tray with a badge on it. The badge was black, and in the shape of a beetle, with four green circles on its back.

"Thanks, Viola." Ash turned to no one in particular. "All RIGHT! I got the Bug Badge!" He took out his badge case and put the badge in the top left corner, as his first gym badge.

"Ash! Congratulations!" Alexa said as she walked over from the spectators' area, followed by Serena. "That was a great battle."

"Thanks, Alexa! And, uh, who's..?" Ash's eyes glanced over at Serena.

"Oh..um...well…" Serena was at a complete loss for words, so Alexa stepped in.

"She was watching with me for your Gym Battle; she walked in halfway through."

"Ah, I see. Sorry about that...I get really into Pokemon battles; I probably just didn't notice you coming in! My name's Ash."

"I know! I'm Serena. Do you remember-" She paused, took a deep breath, and turned away from Ash. "Here we go." At this, Alexa and Viola walked away to leave the two alone, and Pikachu followed them. Serena turned back to face Ash, who was looking at her curiously. "Ash...do you..remember me?"

"Huh?" Ash clearly didn't, but Serena pressed on. She hadn't come all this way to give up that easily. Just as Ash had once told her, she wouldn't give up till the end.

"Think back to when you went to Professor Oak's camp in Pallet Town. I did too! That's where we met!"

"Oh! I do remember that camp! But...I can't say I remember you." Serena's face fell at the offhand way he had said this. "Oh, no, I don't mean it that way! I don't remember much of what went on at camp, to be honest.."

Serena quickly shook her head to mask her disappointment.

"That's okay! It was a long time ago, so…" She stopped.

_Maybe one more try. _"Do you remember, when you were at that camp, at some point you helped out a girl who got lost in the woods? A girl who fell and hurt her leg?" She looked at him hopefully again.

"Wait...now that I think of it, I _do _remember helping someone back to the campsite...was that girl you?"

Serena nodded, a huge smile on her face. "So you _do _remember me!"

Ash laughed back. "I guess I do! Just took me a bit of thinking; sorry about that. What are you doing in Kalos now then?"

"Oh, I live in the Kalos Region, actually, and I'm just starting my Pokemon journey."

"You just started? I actually just started here in Kalos, too. I'm here to get all the Gym Badges! Isn't that what you're after, too? Soon we'll both be catching new Pokemon, training them, and getting the badges!"

Serena looked down at this.

"Well..I don't know. I have my Fennekin, but...I don't know if battling is the thing for me."

"That's fine! Take your time! You'll find out what it is you really want to do. Say…" Ash paused. "How about you come travel with me? The road's going to get awfully lonely if I'm traveling alone, because I don't know anyone here in the region..and maybe along the way we can figure out what you want to do, too!"

"Hm…" Serena thought about it, although there really was no debate in her mind. "Sure! How could I say no to all that?"

At this point, Viola and Alexa came back. Pikachu followed, jumping back onto Ash's shoulder.

"So, I take it the two of you are reacquainted now?" Alexa winked at both of them, and they both turned away, embarrassed.

"I imagine you'd be heading to the next Gym, right, Ash? After beating me so handily, why not head towards the Cyllage City Gym? That seems to be the next one on the road." Viola pointed to a gate to a route north of the Gym. "That should be the way to Cyllage Gym. Good luck! And remember, let me know whenever you're in town, so we can have a rematch!"

Ash nodded. "Thanks for everything, Alexa, Viola. I'll see you guys again real soon!" He waved, and headed off in the direction that Viola had directed him in. "Serena? Coming?"

"Oh! Um, yeah!" She quickly hurried to follow and keep pace with the eager boy. "Um..do you know exactly where to go, Ash?"

"Nope. But that's okay! I figure things out best when I run! And-"

"Well, actually, Ash, I have a map, so we can figure out where we're supposed to go." She reached into her bag and pulled out a rolled up map of the Kalos Region. "So...if we're here in Santalune City, we'll go up Route 4 and back to Lumiose City, and then down Route 5. We should get to Camphrier Town...and then Route 7 should take us to the Connecting Cave, which should be the last stop before Cyllage City!" Her finger traced the path on the map.

"Um...okay, if you say so! Let's go!" Ash sprinted off to Route 4.

"Wait! So, if we're going back to Lumiose City, there's a boutique with the cutest clothes, and there's an awesome bakery with the best pastries you've ever tasted! Let's go!" She ran off, and for once, it was Ash giving chase.

"Wait, Serena! Don't leave me behind! I'll get lost out here!"

"Let's hurry up, Ash! I don't want to get there after the boutique closes!"

An orange-suited figure watched the two as they ran off into the distance. A hologram popped up on his wristwatch.

"Well?"

"The boy has a...unique talent for Pokemon Battles. He also seems to have a strong bond with Pokemon…"

"That may come in handy," the hologram replied. "Keep a close eye on him."

"And what of the girl?" The figure asked the hologram.

"Hm. If they are traveling together...he may come to care about her. Then, we can use her...keep an eye on both of them. I will let you know when more of the plan develops…" The orange-suited figure nodded and saluted, and the hologram fizzed out. He turned away from the corner of the room and followed the two trainers onto Route 4, orange sunglasses masking his eyes and revealing nothing.

* * *

**Phew! This chapter ended up being quite a bit longer than I expected it to be. Honestly, that was just because I couldn't really find a spot that I was comfortable with stopping, so I ended up just plowing on until I found what I felt like was a good spot. **

**So Ash and Serena have met! I didn't want to put that off for too long, because it's hard to go against the canon in terms of how they meet and what happens pre-meeting. So, yea, there wasn't as much deviation from the anime as I would have liked, but I tried. Hope you guys understand. From this point on, it's not going to be much like the anime. I'm probably going to be influenced more by the events that happen in the game rather than the anime, so be on the lookout for that. **

**Another thing, I find it really annoying that the anime constantly has Ash losing. I mean, it's nice that he learns from his mistakes, but he's supposed to be a REALLY DAMN POWERFUL TRAINER. So, I felt like it'd be selling him short if I made him lose to two Pokemon that Pikachu has a type advantage against. If anything, Ash loses because he can be boneheaded at times (which I tried to show with him pointlessly subbing in Froakie for Pikachu after beating Surskit). **

**Lastly, Ash isn't going to have a Fletchling. You can't find one on Route 4. So, yea. I'm going to try to stay true to the Pokemon that are available in the games. **

**ALSO, spoiler alert, Serena is going to have a Milotic. Sorry, but that's going to happen. I haven't figured out how, but it's going to happen. Milotic = my favorite Pokemon of all time, and Serena = my favorite character, so they're going together. **

**Patient 0 Zero: Yes, I have seen that episode pop up! I'm actually quite curious as to how the anime is going to deal with their relationship; I thought that they would do what they always do with Ash and the female character, which is to have them have a few moments together, but ultimately have her shipped out for the next female in the next generation of Pokemon take her place. Hopefully, you're enjoying this story as much as you enjoyed my last story! **

**OthelloFurtherPokeSilver: Yes, I know, and like you said, it's hard to deviate too much at the beginning because it's so essential to the relationship between Ash and Serena (well, at least on Serena's side. Ash's side of the story leaves much more open for playing around with, but I haven't gotten to that point yet, since they've just met). So, hopefully, this chapter went away from the canon more, and each chapter will most likely go further and further, so I hope you'll stick with this story! **

**As usual, please R&amp;R, reviews are always appreciated! Think of them as the fuel for the fire that is the story; the more reviews and suggestions you guys give me, the better this story will be!**


	3. Chapter 3

Serena dashed through the gate and into Lumiose City. The sun was setting lighting the sky with a soft, faded orange glow, the last few rays of sunshine making their last rites seen before fading and ceding their spotlight to the moon.

She turned her head back and scanned the horizon for Ash. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled back, "Ash! Hurry up, before the boutique closes!"

"...wait...me…" was the exhausted reply from him. She leaned against the gate, tapping her foot impatiently. Of course, she wasn't impatient at all, but she had to act that way.

"Come _on_, Ash, I'm pretty sure it closes soon!" He finally caught up, and slowly put a hand on her shoulder to support himself. Serena felt an involuntary shudder of delight at this contact before composing herself.

"Um..you know, Serena, it's already almost dark; I'm sure that the boutique is already almost closed. Why don't we go tomorrow instead, so you have more time to go through the clothes? You'd just be in a rush if you went right now."

Serena mulled over what Ash said.

"Hm..you're right, Ash. Okay, we'll go first thing in the morning tomorrow, then!"

She turned and strolled into the city as Ash groaned quietly behind her.

* * *

"But..I don't get it! They're supposed to be the classiest fashion store in Kalos!" Serena crossed her arms in confusion and frustration. "How could they be closed?"

Serena had insisted on at least seeing the boutique first, and so the two travelers found themselves in front of the store. The door was locked, and the blinds were down on the ornate glass windows, with only a small sign in front that was covered with a hastily written sign.

"On indefinite leave; searching for inspiration for new fashion lines."

Ash patted Serena's shoulder comfortingly.

"It's okay, Serena, I'm sure we'll run into other boutiques in other cities!" She nodded.

"I know, but…" she stopped herself before she unwittingly finished her thoughts out loud.

_I wanted to go shopping for clothes with you, Ash. _

"Right. Well, no use moping. Where are we off to now?" She plastered a smile on her face to mask her disappointment.

"Well, we're going to be spending the night so why don't we just stay at Professor Sycamore's Pokemon Lab?" Ash pointed towards the familiar (albeit still destroyed) laboratory, which was within eyesight in the soft yellow glow of the streetlamps.

* * *

Serena winced as they approached the laboratory and saw that the damage wasn't even close to being fixed. Scorched slabs of brick and shattered glass windows had yet to be patched up, leaving the lab with an exterior that screamed of the utter chaos and disarray caused by the Garchomp rampage.

"Wow...Garchomp must have been really mad." Ash shook his head.

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy." He paused to knock on the door. "Good thing we got it calmed down."

"Pika!"

"Ah! Ash, Serena, come on in." Professor Sycamore materialized in the hallway, and the two carefully stepped through the gaping hole in the front door. "I see you managed to find Ash, Serena. How did your first Gym battle go, Ash?"

Ash proudly pulled out his badge case with one hand, high-fiving Pikachu with the other.

"It went great! I beat Viola, and got the Bug Badge!"

"That's great to hear, Ash. Then I assume you're off to Cyllage City to challenge the next Gym?" Ash nodded. "Well then, good luck. If you didn't know already, Grant uses Rock-type Pokemon."

"Thanks, Professor."

"Well, that's all from me. There's plenty of food, and a spare room upstairs that you two can use, if you don't mind sharing; it's all we have."

"Oh, no, that's fine!" Both quickly responded, blushing.

"Well then, I'll see you tomorrow morning; I have some new data I wanted to get through, so good night!" With a brisk wave, the Professor disappeared one of the dark corridors of the lab.

Ash's stomach growled, and he smiled sheepishly at Serena.

"Let's see what there is to eat?"

* * *

"They're back in Lumiose City, sir." The orange-suited man spoke to the hologram again.

"Ah. How...fortunate. And they are spending the night?"

"Yes. At the Sycamore Pokemon Lab."

"Very well. Thank you. I will meet them personally tomorrow."

The hologram fizzed out, leaving the man alone with his interesting fashion.

* * *

The kitchen fridge was full of food, for both Pokemon and human alike, so Ash, Serena, Pikachu, and Fennekin took what they wanted and made their way to the spare room to settle down, eat, and rest.

"So, Serena, what made you want to start your Pokemon journey?" Ash asked between mouthfuls of microwaved spaghetti.

"Well…" Serena turned away, not wanting to admit that a large part of the reason was because of him.

_You've spent a day with him...maybe Mom was right; you need to take it slow, Serena. _"I guess, my mom's a famous Rhyhorn racer; I don't know if you've ever heard of that?"

Ash looked up curiously.

"Can't say I have. What's Rhyhorn racing?" Serena, egged on by his curiosity, explained.

"It's exactly what it sounds like! You race on a Rhyhorn. Which is a lot harder than it might seem."

"Really? Tell me more about it!"

She didn't need much more encouragement, especially coming from Ash.

"Well, first you have to be able to control the Rhyhorn, which is tough in itself. I've been riding the same Rhyhorn for years now, and he still tosses me every once in a while…" She grinned. "It's so nice and gentle most of the time, but once I try to get on it, it just starts tossing like a bull."

"Wow. How long have you been training for Rhyhorn racing?"

Serena scratched her chin.

"Um, most of my life, I guess? I had to wait till I was a bit older to really start training, otherwise it's a bit dangerous to be tossed by a Rhyhorn, you know?" They both laughed.

"You must really enjoy it then, huh?"

"Enjoy it? No..I mean, I wake up for training and everything, but...I dunno. I just don't enjoy it as much as I think I should." She turned away to look out the window, not wanting to reveal so much about herself so quickly.

_At least get to know him better before you start pouring yourself out to him! Ugh, you're so hopeless sometimes, Serena._

"How about you? How long have you been a Pokemon trainer, Ash?" She turned back to face him as she asked.

"Well..really, for quite a few years now. I started way back when I was ten, back in Pallet Town in Kanto. Then I traveled from Kanto to Johto, the Orange Islands, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and now I'm here."

"Wow. Did you win in all those regions too, then?" Ash shook his head.

"No..I actually didn't win in any of them. I won all the badges...but I could never win the Pokemon Leagues of each region. I always lost at some point...whether it was top 4, or top 16, I never made it to first. I keep telling myself it's going to be different in each region, but...you do start to wonder." He grinned despite himself, wiping off the look of frustration that had clouded his face. "Sorry for getting all depressed on you there; even though I haven't won, I've met so many people and Pokemon, and made so many friends along the way, starting with Pikachu, so it's not like this trip has been a failure. Honestly, I wouldn't have had it any other way."

"Chu…" Pikachu mumbled sleepily from Ash's lap.

"Nothing we've done has been a waste of time," Ash continued. "Everything we've gone through has helped us make it to where we are, somehow, some way."

"Wow…" Serena trailed off for a moment before continuing. "You're always working so hard at what you do, even though you've accomplished so much already. I can see that, even though I've only traveled with you for a couple days now."

"I've accomplished some things, but...I still haven't accomplished my dream that I set out to achieve, Serena."

"Oh? And that is?"

"To become a Pokemon master! And to do that, I need to win the leagues in at least one of the regions!" He sighed. "Maybe this time will be different. But what about you, Serena? You said you weren't sure what you wanted to do." His eyes turned to her, an earnest, curious look in them.

She couldn't meet them.

_What is my dream? Having a dream…._

"Serena? Are you okay?" She snapped back out of her thoughts.

"Yeah...I wonder a lot of the time, what is _my _dream, Ash? What is it that _I_ want to do?"

Ash patted her comfortingly.

"Don't worry. You've still got lots of time to figure that out, and me, Pikachu, and especially Fennekin will be there with you!" At this, there was a popping sound followed by a red glow, and Fennekin came out of its Poke Ball, nudging its body against Serena's legs. She smiled as she leaned over to pick it up. "I'll bet you'll find out what you want to do with Fennekin!"

She mulled over what he was saying.

"I'll find my dream with my Pokemon…" She smiled, and closed her eyes. "That sounds perfect."

"Fenn!" Fennekin nuzzled its furry head against her chin.

"Yes, Fennekin. We'll find our dreams together." She patted it gently, and they heard a Pokemon howl outside. Ash checked his watch, and gasped.

"Oh wow, it's late. We should get some sleep before tomorrow." He turned and switched off his lamp. "Goodnight, Serena. See you tomorrow." He turned and pulled the covers up, and in seconds, was snoring quietly. Serena followed suit, but stayed up just a bit longer with her thoughts.

_My dream… _Serena's eyes slowly fluttered shut, and everything faded to darkness.

* * *

Serena's eyes drifted open after what seemed like just a second as the bright light of morning shone into the room. She looked across the room to find that Ash and Pikachu were gone. Gently, she got out of bed, and her movements woke up her Fennekin.

"Fen?" It mumbled drowsily. It leapt into her arms, and she brought it to the window to gaze outside at the sleepy city. Looking out, she saw the yard where Sycamore kept a bunch of Pokemon he was researching. And out there was…

Ash? She narrowed her eyes to make sure it was him. What was he doing? He looked to be telling Froakie and Pikachu to do some things.

_Oh. He's training, _she realized. She hoisted Fennekin onto the windowsill so it could watch, too.

"Look, Fennekin! Ash is training, and so early!" She checked the clock; it was barely past 6:30 in the morning.

"Fen!" It gazed excitedly at the trainer and his two Pokemon.

_Ash trains so hard...he's so dedicated to his goal of becoming a Pokemon Master. Look at him, training so early, and working so hard for the Gym Badges. What about me? All I've woken up for is Rhyhorn racing...and I don't even enjoy it. What do I want to do…? _She sighed. It wasn't the first time she had this mental dialogue, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Fennekin, what do I want to do with my life?"

Fennekin cocked its head, not entirely understanding the gravity of Serena's question. She turned her attention back towards the trainer and his Pokemon.

_Hm, maybe I'll make breakfast for him. I guess that works for now. _A smile cracked across her face at this thought, and she sprinted down the stairs to the kitchen.

* * *

"Good job, Froakie. You too, Pikachu. Let's go back and see if there's anything for breakfast."

"Frohh!"

"Pika pi!" The two Pokemon happily chirped back, exhausted from training. As they neared the kitchen, Ash was surprised to smell food already.

"Mm...I wonder what that is?" He entered the kitchen to find Serena flipping an omelette. "Oh! Good morning, Serena. When'd you get up?"

"Morning, Ash." She turned to face and greet him. "Not that long ago, actually. There's some pancakes on the table, and I'm making some omelettes."

"Thanks, Serena. Did you eat yet?"

"Oh, yeah, I had some pancakes while I was making them, and so did Fennekin. Everything there is for you guys, so dig in!"

Ash separated the pancakes into three piles.

"Pikachu, Froakie, breakfast! You guys deserve it after all that hard work." The three hungrily set upon the food, and Serena joined them after finishing the omelette.

"These pancakes are great, Serena. Thanks a lot!"

"Oh, it's nothing. So, how was training?" She asked him.

"Eh, it went alright. Training's training, you know?" She laughed and shook her head.

"I don't, actually, Ash. This is my first time on a journey, remember?"

"Oh, right. I forgot." He scratched his hair, slightly embarrassed at his lapse. "Well..I guess training is something no one actually really likes to do, but you do it if you want to get better. And we're going to beat the Kalos League and win the region, this time for sure!"

"Pika pika!"

"Frohhkie!" The two Pokemon leapt up and each slapped one of Ash's hands in agreement before they resumed their breakfast. They finished and made their way back to the room to clean up and get ready for the next leg of their journey. Cyllage City was quite a ways away; it would be a few days before Ash would be able to challenge the next Kalos Gym. Route 5 led to quaint Camphrier Town, from which they would have to take Route 7 to and through the Connecting Cave to get to Cyllage (according to Serena's map).

"Ready to go, you two?" Sycamore popped by their room just as they were finishing up.

"Yes, sir. Cyllage City is quite a ways away, and we want to get there as soon as possible," Ash replied. "I need to get that second badge," he exclaimed as Pikachu echoed the sentiment.

"Of course. Before either of you leave, I have a proposition. If you happen to run into a Charmander, Squirtle, or Bulbasaur, could you let me know?"

Ash and Serena shot quizzical glances at each other.

"Um, sure, Professor, but why?" Serena spoke for both of them. He pulled out three stones in response, each with the same rainbow hue, but slightly different shapes and accentuated colors.

"Remember how I told you about Mega Evolution, and how both the trainer and the Pokemon require a stone?" The two nodded. "Well, the three Pokemon I just mentioned, the Kanto Starter Pokemon, have each been discovered to have a Mega Evolution. That's right," he continued, as Ash gasped, "Mega Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur have been discovered. There's actually two forms of Mega Charizard, but I only have the stone for one. The other is in the possession of another trainer, who is quite well-known in the Johto region. But, back to my point. If you do happen to come across and capture any of them, let me know, because I can give you the stones. Once you have the Pokemon's specific stone, you must find a trainer Key stone, which is up to you, because that is all I know about them. After that, you can Mega evolve your Pokemon, and that will be a huge help to my studies."

Ash stroked his chin in thought.

_Well..I do have Charizard…_

"Actually, Professor, I have all three of the starters…" Ash trailed off and smiled as he thought about the three Pokemon waiting for him, two in Professor Oak's lab, and one in the Charicinder Valley. "You had all thre?" Professor Sycamore was amazed. "They're incredibly rare! For anyone to find one in the wild, much less all three, is spectacular!"

Ash nodded.

"Yeah..my Charmander is actually a Charizard now. We had a _lot _of adventures…" Ash paused as he realized that Serena and Professor Sycamore were staring at him intently. "I guess you want to hear about how I met my Charmander?"

* * *

_Its trainer had abandoned it, saying it was weak and not strong enough to be with him. But Charmander was loyal, and kept going back to him, so he told it to wait on a rock and he would go back to find him later._

_But he never went back. Charmander lay alone on that rock for who knows how long...we saw it during the day, but it said that it was waiting for its trainer, so we left it alone, thinking it was just waiting for its trainer to grab a snack or something. That night, as fate would have it, we ran into a trainer at the Pokemon Center we were staying at. He bragged first about how strong his Pokemon were, and then about leaving a weak Charmander behind...and then it clicked. _

_The two Charmanders were one and the same. And with the heavy rain going on outside...it wasn't going to be long before its tail flame ran out, and for a Charmander, that mean's...well, you know. So we all rushed out to find Charmander before it was too late. When we found it, its tail flame was barely flickering, and it was being attacked by a pack of Spearow on top of that. So I threw some rocks at the birds, and Pikachu scared them off with some electricity, and we hurried to cover Charmander and get it to the Pokemon Center. I remember watching as they took care of it...Nurse Joy told me that if we had waited any longer, the poor thing might not have made it. _

_The next day, Charmander was all better. While we were in the forest, it managed to learn Flamethrower, one of the most powerful fire-type moves. Of course, his old trainer saw it learn this move, and suddenly wanted Charmander back. But when he threw the Poke Ball at Charmander, it slapped it away with its tail. It didn't want to go back to its old trainer. _

_So I asked if it wanted to come with me. Instead of answering, it walked up and pressed the Poke Ball I was holding, and since then, it's been one of my best companions. _

_Thanks to Charmander, I earned a lot of Gym badges, and met a lot of new friends. But...then, when it evolved into Charmeleon and then Charizard...it stopped listening to me. It had become so powerful that it could win without trying, so it saw no need to listen to me. Sometimes, Pokemon change a lot when they evolve, and it was just my luck that Charmander changed for the worse. And it stayed that way...until the Orange Islands. _

_We ran into a trainer with a Poliwrath. Of course, Poliwrath is a water type, so it had an advantage against Charizard. But Charizard kept trying to use Flamethrower to beat it, and ignored my commands...and then ended up encased in a block of ice. I had to spend the night rubbing him with my bare hands to thaw him out, and to make sure that his tail flame didn't go out. It was almost like it was a little Charmander again, and I was racing against time to get it to the Pokemon Center to heal it. Except this time, I had only my hands and the small fire that Brock and Misty had managed to start for me. Eventually, I thawed it out, but after that, everything changed. Charizard had never lost before that battle, and I guess afterwards, it realized I could help. So it started listening to me ever since then, and we've been unstoppable since. _

* * *

"Wow. Why aren't you traveling with Charizard right now, Ash? I'm surprised you aren't be traveling with such a powerful, reliable partner." Professor Sycamore asked.

"Well, after all my adventures, I actually left Charizard in a place called Charicific Valley, which is a place specifically for training Charizards, so he could get stronger. When we first got there, he lost every battle..so we decided it'd be best for him to stay and train there to improve himself. But he occasionally comes back to help me, whether I ask for it or not."

Serena had been listening intently through the whole tale, and realized what Ash wanted to do.

"Are you saying you want to bring Charizard here to travel with you?" Ash nodded.

"Professor, do you have a PC here? I can call Professor Oak and have him transfer my Charizard over."

"Of course."

Serena watched as Ash and Sycamore went to the machine.

_Ash really does care for his Pokemon...he saved the Charmander's life! I wonder how many other Pokemon he's saved too; in just a few days, I've seen him climb to the top of Prism Tower for a Garchomp he'd just met, saw him jump off the top of the tower to save his Pikachu, and now I'm hearing about this tale with Charmander. He's so selfless.._

She shook herself out of her thoughts when the two men returned, Ash with a toothy grin on his face.

"Well? You guys wanna see my Charizard?" Serena and Sycamore nodded eagerly. "Here goes! Charizard, come on out!"

There was the usual red flash, followed by a loud roar as Charizard came out. Its orange body glowed in the sunlight, and it stretched its wings.

"Charizard! It's so nice to see you again…" Ash walked towards his Pokemon, and Pikachu leapt onto Charizard's shoulder to nuzzle it. Ash placed an arm on Charizard's stomach. "Alright, Charizard, this is Serena and Professor Sycamore. Professor Sycamore and Serena, this is Charizard."

"Wow…" The Professor was speechless, as was Serena. Charizard was, simply put, quite awesome. The Professor managed to regain his composure after a bit. "Ah. Well, hello, Charizard. Ash spoke quite a bit of you, and you have really exceeded all expectations. What a fine specimen you are." The Professor turned to Ash. "Well then, this is for you. You'll have to tie it on to Charizard, and when you find a Key stone, Charizard will be able to Mega evolve, and we can study the results! Of course, that's if you find the Key Stone, and if Charizard doesn't mind," the Professor hastily added.

"Charr!" Charizard roared, stomped its feet, and lit Professor Sycamore's hair on fire in one fluid motion, leaving Ash and Pikachu chuckling, and Serena and Sycamore scrambling for water.

"Is that a no?!" Sycamore yelled from underneath the bucket of water that Serena poured over him.

"Nah, I think he likes you. He'll do it, right, Charizard?"

"ZARDDDD!"

* * *

The two travelers stepped out of the lab with one last goodbye to the odd-haired Professor. Just when they turned, however, they were accosted by another man.

He had a head full of bright, orange locks that went all the way around his face, extending into a beard that was the same shade of fiery orange.

"Ah...the two trainers who received a Pokedex from the Professor. How wonderful! The Pokedex is a wonderful thing, indeed. You are two of the chosen ones, to have received them." He paused for a moment to stroke his beard. "I am Lysandre. I have tried to learn as much about Pokemon as I can to help build a brighter future...Professor Sycamore has taught me much. Anyways, I have these for you." He gave each of them a weird, pod-like thing. "Those are Holo Casters, communication devices. Put them to good use. Now, listen to me. It is vital that this world becomes a better place, and that Pokemon and people work together to achieve this. That is my desire." Without bidding farewell, he turned and left.

"Um..did you get any of that?" Ash asked Serena as he scratched his head in confusion.

"No...but I do know what these Holo Caster things are; I've seen ads for them. We can use them as phones, and you get a little hologram of their face as their talking too. But otherwise it's just a phone." She looked at hers. "I guess it's cool, but as long as we're not separated we won't really need them much." They put them away in their bags before heading back out into Lumiose City, and Lysandre and his ramblings were quickly forgotten.

"Hey! What's that building?" Serena pointed at a large, purple building just to the right of the Lab.

"I have no idea..?"

There was a large sign outside the building that read "PR Video Studio: Film your PR video or PokeVision today!"

"Ooh! Let's go check it out!" Serena grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him in, almost causing Pikachu to fall off its customary perch on Ash's shoulder. As soon as they entered, a person at the counter motioned for them to come over.

"Welcome, trainers! Is this your first time here?" They nodded. "Welcome to the PR Video Studio! Here, you can either film a short video to be played before big battles, or you can film a PokeVision video!"

This piqued Serena's curiosity.

"What's a PokeVision video?"

"Basically, you'll film a short video to show off your Pokemon. This video is then uploaded, and each week, viewers can see it online, and vote for their favorites. The top ten videos are announced, and are aired on national Television! I'm sure you've heard of Diantha?" Serena nodded, while Ash and Pikachu shook their heads. The clerk tsk-tsked at them. "Well, I'm sure this lovely young lady can tell you about her, but this is where Diantha started her career."

"Um..who's Diantha?"

"Pika pik?"

"She's the most famous movie star in Kalos! Her movies with her Gardevoir are absolutely amazing...I've looked up to her ever since I was small!"

Suddenly a screen in the room fizzled to life.

"Now, our top performer of the week! Aria and Fennekin!" A girl in with long, red curled hair and dressed in a white blouse and yellow-pink striped skirt popped up on the screen, along with a Fennekin with a blue bow on top.

"Whoa! Fennekin, look! It's Aria!" Serena let out her own Fennekin to catch a view of the screen.

"Um..sorry, Serena, but who's Aria?" Serena sighed.

"Ash, don't you know anything?" She continued before he could protest. "Aria and her Fennekin started as a pop duo, but after their PokeVision videos got super popular, they became stars!" They turned their attention back to the screen, where Aria and Fennekin had already begun their performance.

"Wow. That's a cute pair, alright." Ash commented as he watched. "Especially the...er, the Fennekin," Ash finished, leaving Serena breathing a sigh of relief and Fennekin breathing some fire.

"Yes, but I'm sure my Fennekin is just as cute, if not more so!" Serena responded, hugging Fennekin close to her chest. An idea struck her. "Alright, that settles it. I'm going to make a PokeVision video and see how it goes! Ash, will you help me with the video?"

"Um...I was actually thinking of getting out on the road to Cyllage as soon as possible..."

"But we can leave one day later! This is the only time I'll get to try this!" Ash held up his hands.

"I'm just joking! Sure, I'll help. Let's go borrow the equipment we need."

They ended up with a heavy black bag of equipment for filming, and the counterperson guided them to one of the many green rooms in the back.

"Ooh! Look! There's costumes, too!" Serena pointed to a catalog in the room. "You can ring up the front desk and have them look for the costume you want in your size! This is going to be so much fun!" Ash nodded, although he couldn't really see how it was going to be fun.

_Well, she seems excited about it. Might as well play along. _

* * *

They ended up spending almost the entire morning and afternoon in the building. Serena had been busy for the first hour or so figuring out what she wanted to film with Fennekin, what music she wanted in the background, what outfits, and everything else possible, while Ash dutifully waited until she was ready to film. Filming took the brunt of the time, and once they were done, Serena quickly uploaded the video without watching it first.

"You sure you don't want to watch it first?" Ash had a quizzical look on his face.

"Nah. This was just for fun! It's not like I'm going to be in the top 5 that they feature anyways, so I just wanted to try filming it. It wasn't a complete waste of time, we had a lot of fun, didn't we, Fennekin?" It purred against her hand in response. The computer dinged, signaling that the video had been uploaded onto the web. "Well, Ash, we should start heading out, shall we? Route 5 isn't a cakewalk, so we'd better get started before it get's dark."

"You _sure _you don't want us to watch it just one time? I'm pretty curious to see how it turned out, actually." Serena blushed at Ash's interest.

"No, really. It's probably terrible and embarrassing...let's just get back on the road!" She turned away and started walking out the door before her face got any redder.

"Huh. I don't get it." Ash shrugged at Pikachu and followed her out the door towards Route 5.

* * *

**And there! Sorry for the super long delay; I had finals, and then went home for winter break, so I've been spending a lot of time catching up with old friends and spending time with the special someone :) so I've barely had time to write! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I feel like Ash and Serena are still figuring out the dynamics of their relationship with each other in terms of what it's going to be like while traveling (well, mostly Serena; we all know Ash isn't going to change much, and I hope I reflected that so far). As of now, Serena's still a bit unsure of how to act; she's a bit cautious, but at the same time, it's hard not to show when you're meeting someone you've literally been dreaming about for a few years. **

**This chapter also had a lot of foreshadowing/setting up future plot points; Lumiose is a big city, and they will loop around back to it again, so I thought it might be a good point to start setting up some of the plot twists/major events that are going to happen later. Also, we see the return of Charizard! I always felt like it was weird that Ash didn't at least take Charizard with him; that thing is a MONSTER, and, luckily, it has a Mega Evolution, so it happened to fit pretty perfectly in the plot :)**

**As usual, to the reviewers: **

**Red: Thanks for saying that! I always hope for more reviews, so it's nice to see that you're leaving one :) sorry I didn't update really that soon, but I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! **

**The Amourshipper: Judging from your pen name, you like the Ash-Serena relationship too. Sorry if this chapter disappointed you in terms of concrete events happening, but I hope you'll stick around to see what I have planned! **

**Satoshi and Touko: As you can see, I'm starting to take some big steps away from the anime. However, some parts I might adapt in (probably the cooking contest with Miette, some other small events like that). From this chapter, I think you can see what I have planned for Serena. It might not necessarily be a Pokemon performer; I'm not 100% sure yet, but it will most likely be something similar. Lastly, no, I don't have plans for Clemont and Bonnie to be major characters in this story. They may show up later as minor characters, but I just couldn't really see much significance for them. Hope this answers your questions and that you stay with the story! :)**

**Pegasi: I'm glad you agree on the Pokemon choice :) Milotic is just so beautiful, I love everything about it. I'm just...still trying to figure out how to incorporate it into the story. Feebas doesn't really seem like a Pokemon that someone would want to catch, so...I'll get there. :) **

**To all the viewers, as always, please R&amp;R! I'll try to keep the updates rolling slightly faster next time, but I can't make any promises. Enjoy, and happy 2015 to all of you!**


	4. Chapter 4

Route 5 really wasn't turning out to be a cakewalk. There were stray trainers littered all over the grassy route, and Ash had just finished beating his third in a row. He had decided against using Charizard too much; he wanted Froakie to be able to get some training in, and these trainers presented a perfect opportunity. Of course, if the going got tough, he could always turn to Pikachu and Charizard.

Panting, Froakie weakly turned to Ash, who nodded his understanding. "We'll have to find a Pokemon Center. Is there one nearby, Serena? Or should we go back to Lumiose City?"

Serena drummed her fingers against her cheek.

"Um..I think there's one on this route, right next to the rollerblade park."

"Right. Let's go!" Ash headed off in the direction that Serena had mentioned. After a couple minutes, they reached the mentioned rollerblade park. It was actually quite well-maintained; the ramps were still waxed and clean, and the railings and various props for tricks were seemingly clean and looked new. There were a few people casually gliding their way through the track, doing a few tricks here and there.

However, Ash's eyes were focused on the Pokemon Center, and on getting his Pokemon back to health. If Serena knew anything after her few days with Ash, it was that his Pokemon and their well-being were always his top priority, even above himself.

When they entered, they quickly handed Ash's injured and exhausted Pokemon over to Nurse Joy and Wigglytuff, before taking a seat to wait. Nurse Joy popped her head back out from the treatment room.

"This might take a while. Why don't you two go check out the park next to us? It'll be fun, and will help take your mind off of things. You can borrow rollerblades from the park, if you need to. Winnie! Florin! Come help these two out, they're going to the park for a bit while they wait for their Pokemon." She gestured at a man and woman who were manning a counter across the room.

Behind the counter, on multiple racks, were rollerblades of all sizes and colors. The girl rolled over on her own rollerblades to greet them.

"Hi! I'm Winnie. Nurse Joy said you two were looking for skates?" She was wearing a yellow helmet with a raised ridge in the middle, and her hair was tied in a ponytail that just came out the back.

"Um.." Ash glanced over at Serena, who shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" She finished the thought for him. "It's not like we're going to do anything else, and we have to wait for Nurse Joy to finish anyways." Winnie nodded, and gestured to the counter.

"Okay, then! First, you can go and measure your foot size on that panel on the floor, and then let me know and we'll get you guys your skates. Have you ever rollerbladed before?" Ash shook his head.

"Er...is it hard?"

"Don't worry, Ash! I'll teach you; it's really easy." In minutes, they had figured out their shoe sizes and gotten their rollerblades. Serena stood up and slowly rolled around the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

"Haha! It's just like I remember!" She kicked off the ground a couple times and soon sped out the door. Meanwhile, Ash was still on the bench, trying to stand up.

_Man, this is embarrassing. Alright..it can't be that hard. Just like walking..._

He took a deep breath and stood up for a second.

"YES! I-aahhh!" His feet quickly slid out from under him, and he hit the floor with a loud, undignified _thud_.

"Oh dear. I think you'll need a quick introduction to rollerblading, Ash!" Serena had come back in when she heard the thud, and offered him a hand. "C'mon, let's get up and go!"

Ash sat up and rubbed his aching behind.

"Serena, you don't get it...I can't even stand on these things. Can't we just sit on the bench and wait until our Pokemon are healed?"

"Ash! What did you tell me back at Oak's camp?"

"Um..never give up till the end?"

"Exactly! You're going to learn how to do this. Trust me, you'll pick it up right away. No giving up! It's going to be really easy!" Her hand was still outstretched, and with a smile, Ash took it.

"You're right, Serena. Let's do this!" She pulled him up, and he promptly overbalanced again and fell on his face.

"Er..maybe it won't be as easy as I thought..." Serena remarked as she leaned down to pull him up again. "Alright, let's get you to balance on the skates first. Keep your feet apart, and lean forward a bit. I'll hold on to you so you don't fall." Ash adjusted his posture to her guidance, and she held him up as he shifted. "Okay, now I'm going to let go. Kind of walk like a duck; heels pointing in, toes pointing out, like a V-shape." She slowly let go, and Ash began to gradually slide forward.

"Oh…" He mumbled as he felt himself move. Quickly, he remembered what Serena had told him, and moved his feet into the V-shape, and instantly felt himself stabilize. "Whoa! Serena, I'm not falling over!" He yelled out ecstatically. Serena clapped in response and gave him a thumbs up.  
"Good job! Now just slowly push off the ground one foot at a time, and you'll start to build up speed, like this." She demonstrated, and zoomed by in front of him.

"Okay..can't be that hard," Ash mumbled to himself, as he gingerly pushed off his right foot. "WHOA!" He yelped as he felt himself move forward. His left foot instinctively kicked off the ground in sequence, and soon, he was off and skating. "Serena! It worked! You're a genius!" He felt himself laughing as he accelerated and quickly caught up to her, and the two sped off into the park.

* * *

"Hm. Yes, I think it is time."

"Sir? Time for?" The orange-suited man spoke to the hologram floating above his hand.

"Test them. Go all out; I must see if they truly have the potential in them that Sycamore believes they have."

"Of course. We will go now."

* * *

They skated for about an hour around the park until Nurse Joy called them via the PA system to let them know that their Pokemon were done.

"See, I told you it wasn't going to be that bad! And it's really fun, too," Serena said as they changed back into their normal shoes and returned the skates and pads.

"You were right! I had a lot of fun; maybe we can do this again." Serena's eyes lit up when she heard him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? According to your map, we'll loop back to Lumiose City at some point; maybe we can make a side trip and-"

"Hey! You two! GIVE ME THOSE POKEMON BACK!" Their heads turned towards the source of the commotion.

"Nurse Joy! What happened?" Ash asked the out-of-breath nurse.

"Those two...they were wearing orange suits! And they took your Pokemon that we healed and ran off that way..I couldn't catch them!"

"They took my Pokemon?" Nurse Joy nodded in response. "Alright, then. I didn't want to, but...Charizard, let's go!" A flash of red, and the great orange dragon was out. "C'mon, Serena. We've gotta find those two." He climbed on Charizard's back and held out a hand to help Serena on.

With a roar, Charizard spread its wings and took off.

"Can't be too hard to spot them if they're wearing orange suits," Ash said. "Aha! There! Charizard, down to the left!" Charizard obediently veered downwards, landing in front of the villains and cutting off their route. Give me my Pokemon back!" Ash yelled at them.

One of them sneered.

"You'll have to fight us for them! Go, Mightyena!" She threw out a Poke Ball, and a black, hound-like Pokemon appeared.

"I'll help you out. Go, Houndoom!" Another hound-like Pokemon appeared, except this one had curved horns on its head and gray bone-like ribbing along its back, along with a flaming orange underbelly.

"Gah! I can't take them both by myself…"

"Ash! I'll help you; I haven't fought before, but...I'll do my best!" Ash turned to face Serena.

"You sure? I don't want Fennekin to get hurt because of me-"

"Kinnn!" The fox Pokemon sprang out of its Poke Ball out of its own volition, spitting a few flames for good measure.

"Alright, then. Charizard! You're up!" The dragon took a thundering step forward. "Remember, do your best to protect Fennekin when you can." Charizard nodded and stomped the ground, eager to begin the battle.

"Mightyena! Crunch that Fennekin! Let's get it out of the way first," one of them yelled.

"Houndoom! Back it up with Take Down!" Mightyena and Houndoom sprang forward at Fennekin…

"Dodge to the left, Fennekin!" The fox leapt in the indicated direction, and both Pokemon skidded past it. "Now use Ember!" A weak pulse of fire burst from Fennekin's mouth and singed the Pokemon, eliciting sharp yelps, but nothing more.

"Hah! What is this, your first battle? Your Fennekin's too weak to take on a fully evolved Pokemon," the orange trainer sneered. "That Ember didn't do anything to either of us. Now, Mightyena, Body Slam!"

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

_Fennekin can't dodge them both, _Serena thought. Before she could say anything, she could hear Ash yelling out orders.

"Charizard! Get in there! Seismic toss on Mightyena, and block the Flamethrower!" Charizard swooped down, grabbing Mightyena mid-dash and slamming it into the ground, while also using its body to shield the Houndoom's flames.

"Thanks, Ash! Fennekin! You okay in there?" The fox barked back, before turning its focus back to the field.

Mightyena was slow to get up, shaking on its four legs. Charizard snorted patronizingly at it, still standing between the two and Fennekin.

"It's over, you two." Ash had a smile on his face, as if he already knew what was going to happen next. "Charizard, Overheat!"

Charizard glowed red, and the entire area seemed to suddenly spike in temperature. All four trainers wiped their foreheads as sweat began beading on them, and then there was a loud roar from the field, and a burning heat wave pulsed outwards.

When the dust cleared, Mighyena and Houndoom were both down, fainted.

"Gah! Mightyena! Return!"

"Houndoom! Return!" The two Pokemon were sucked back into their balls. "Fine! Take back your Pokemon; it's not like they were strong, anyways. We were just going to test some preliminary Mega Evolutions with your Pokemon, but...I think we have some interesting new data now."

"Wait! Did you just say Mega Evolution?" The two nodded and turned to leave. "Who are you guys," Ash yelled after them.

"Team Flare. And we'll be back.." And they were gone, orange suits and all.

"Team Flare? Have you heard of them, Serena?" He turned to face her, but she was shaking, and pale white. "Serena? You okay?" Ash walked over to the bag that the Team Flare members had left behind and retrieved his Pokemon, clipping them onto his belt before hurrying to Serena. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her to sit on the grass.

"Yeah..just...that was my first battle and all, and...well, if it wasn't for you and Charizard, Fennekin would have been done for with the Body Slam and Flamethrower." She shook her head and closed her eyes at the thought, and unconsciously hugged Fennekin closer to her body. "What would have happened?"

Ash sat next to her and patted her back comfortingly. He thought about extending the arm around her, but decided against it.

"Well, Fennekin would have fainted, probably, and we'd have to take it to a Pokemon Center to get healed. But, you know, Serena, that's part of being a trainer. Every trainer loses some battles; heck, I've lost a lot of them, and when you lose, it means _all _your Pokemon fainted. You feel bad, because it is pretty much your fault that they're fainted, but once you get them back to health, you see that they're still happy to see you. They don't hold it against you when you lose a battle, and that's the best part of being a trainer: the fact that your Pokemon are willing to do this for you, that the bonds between you are so strong that they're willing to literally go out and fight until they can't anymore, just for you. So you have nothing to worry about! Fennekin was willing to take on two fully evolved Pokemon for you; I think that means something, don't you?"

Sometime during Ash's monologue, Serena had stopped shaking.

"You're right, Ash…" She patted Fennekin's head. "Thanks, Fennekin. But I'll try not to put you in a situation where you're at such a disadvantage again, or I'll risk losing you…" She started tearing up at the thought, and began looking around furiously for somewhere to bury her face before she started sobbing.

So, naturally, she buried her face into Ash's shoulder.

"Er…" Ash felt his face burning, and was rather glad that Serena couldn't see his face. Reflexively, he put his arm rather awkwardly around her, his hand slightly hovering above her waist. "Well…" He paused, the words coming out of his mouth before his brain could process them. "I'll be here to make sure that doesn't happen."

She sniffled and smiled at him through her tears.

"Really?"

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we? And...that's what friends are for, right?" Ash quickly tried to backtrack, but Serena just nodded slowly in agreement, before leaning her head back on his shoulder.

They stayed in silence for a few moments, before Charizard poked its head in between them.

"Charrr!" It snorted accusingly at Ash.

"Huh? What's wrong, Char-"

"CHAAARRRR!"

"Oh, oops. Okay, okay, I forgot to feed you. _Sorry._" Ash shook his head apologetically at Serena and got up to leave. Serena pouted for a moment, having enjoyed the moment they'd been having, but soon couldn't help herself from giggling as she followed behind him, watching Charizard stalk behind Ash all the way back to the Pokemon Center, stomping the entire way.

* * *

They decided to spend the night at the Pokemon Center, and were eating in their room while watching the news.

"Ash, your Charizard...it's really strong, isn't it?"

Ash nodded.

"I only use it for the toughest battles I have; Charizard's been training for so long, he's likely stronger than any but the most well-trained Pokemon out there."

"You mean there are Pokemon stronger than your Charizard?" Serena was incredulous; to her, Ash's Charizard seemed to be incredibly powerful, especially after their battle earlier in the day. It had wiped out two Pokemon with one attack!

"Oh, of course. Didn't I tell you that I've never won the Pokemon League in any region?" She nodded. "Well, imagine a team of six Pokemon equal to Charizard, at the very least. That's what the trainers are like in the final rounds."

"Pika pi.." Pikachu mewed in agreement.

"Wow."

"Yeah. It's just frustrating to get so close and to lose-"

"We now do our nightly overview of the top 10 viewed PokeVision videos as of now!" The blaring voice of a TV announcer flooded the small room.

Serena gasped, and Ash pointed at the screen excitedly.

"Maybe yours will be on there? Let's see!" And his attention turned completely to the TV.

"No! I don't want to see it if it's up there…" She reached to cover his eyes, but he batted her hand away.

"Come on, Serena! You spent so much time on it, and it's an honor to be on TV right now, not an embarrassment!" He held her hand down so she couldn't cover his face, or her own, while they watched intently. She tried to look away from the screen, but the volume was still on…

"At number 4, with 25,000 views, Serena, of Vaniville Town!" Serena saw herself pop on the screen, dressed in a frilly pink apron and holding a baking pan, accompanied by Fennekin, which was in similar attire. Before it got any further, though, she found herself reaching for the remote and shutting off the TV.

"Serena! Why can't I see it?"

"It's just..it's too _embarrassing_! I look like a total dork!" She looked back at the TV to make sure it was off. "My video's about _baking_, for goodness' sake!"

"Of course you don't look like a dork! It must have been a great video, if you're fourth on the list at this point! You need to have more confidence in yourself! You're really pretty, of course people would want to see you on TV!" Ash blushed as he realized what he said and turned away, and Serena blushed even more furiously, leaving them both looking at opposite walls.

An awkward silence settled between them, before the room phone rang. Eager to break the silence, Serena reached for the phone.

"Mmhm. Yeah, he's here. Okay, he'll be right down." She hung up the phone.

"Who was that?"

"Someone looking for you? Said they wanted to thank you, or something. They're in the lobby right now; let's go?"

Ash nodded, and they exited the room.

* * *

As they turned from the steps into the lobby of the Pokemon Center, two people in front of the counter turned to face them.

One of them, a man in a blue onesie-ish suit with yellow highlights waved at them. "Hi! You must be Ash, and you must be Serena."

"Mhm." Ash nodded in reply. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

He shook his head.

"No, I don't believe so. I'm Clemont, and this here is my sister Bonnie." He pointed to the girl next to him, who waved cheerily back at them.

"Hi!" Her eyes glossed over them before stopping at Serena. "Serena...are you, by any chance, single?"

Serena blushed at the question.

"Um, as of now, yes? Why do you-" Before she could finish, Bonnie had knelt down in front of her and took her hand.

"Serena, will you take my brother Clemont as your husband? He's getting old, and needs a wife to settle-" The man in the blue suit, Clemont, reached out a hand, stifling his sister before she could go on.

"Er, never mind that. She does that whenever we meet a lady," he said while scratching his hair awkwardly. "_So. _I came here to thank you for what you did in Lumiose City a while ago, with stopping the Garchomp from going rampage and destroying everything."

"Thank us..?" Ash was confused. _What did this guy have to do with Lumiose City? _

As if reading his thoughts, the girl called Bonnie yelled out, "It matters because my brother's Lumiose City's Gym Leader!" She quickly glanced to see if Serena looked impressed, but was disappointed; Serena had barely reacted.

"Lumiose City's Gym Leader?" Ash gasped. "Wait, let's battle now!" Clemont shook his head.

"How many badges do you have, Ash?"

"One."

"I'm afraid that's not enough. Kalos League rules state that I'm the fifth Gym Leader; you must defeat Grant, in Cyllage City, Korrina, in Shalour City, and Ramos in Coumarine City before you have the right to face me in an official battle."

"But-" Clemont held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry; that's why I came looking for you. To thank you for saving Lumiose City from, well, complete and utter destruction, I'd like to travel with you for a bit. I know it's your first time in Kalos, so I thought I could help, although I'm sure Serena has been quite helpful as well. Also, well," Clemont paused and grinned a bit sheepishly before resuming, "My gym got a bit...hammered by the Garchomp, since it was on top of Prism Tower. So, it's out of commission for a while, and I was hoping that we could travel around together until my gym's fixed. Being a Gym Leader is fun and all, but sometimes, you get bored, and, you know, the more the merrier, right? Of course, Bonnie would tag along, too, if you don't mind. And, of course, I promise to have our Gym battle be the first thing we do when we get back to Lumiose City."

Ash thought for a moment.

"Serena, what do you think? I don't see why not; you guys will only help us, and it's always nice to have company, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!" The yellow mouse squealed in agreement.

Serena nodded slowly; she was slightly miffed that Ash was so inviting to Clemont and Bonnie, not necessarily because she didn't like them, but more because after the events of the day, she felt that she and Ash had gotten much closer.

_Oh well. I shouldn't be selfish and keep Ash to myself, and they seem like good people, too. Besides, it's only until we get back to Lumiose City, anyways._

"Yeah, sure!" She faked a smile at the two of them, but after seeing the earnestness on Ash's face, and the looks of excitement on Clemont and Bonnie's faces, she felt her smile reach her eyes.

_Maybe this will be fun, after all. _

* * *

They spent the rest of the evening continuing to introduce and find out more about each other, and of course, it got to a point where they were to show off their Pokemon.

Serena sent out Fennekin, while Ash sent out his Froakie, Pikachu, and Charizard, much to the awe of Clemont and Serena.

"Well, Clemont? Your turn, now. Let me take back Charizard, he's a bit big for the room." Charizard faded back into its ball, leaving more space in the room.

Clemont threw out three Poke Balls, and out popped a levitating, magnet-like Pokemon, a black, fox-like Pokemon, and a yellow, lizard-like Pokemon with a black head.

"Well, gang, meet Magnezone, Luxray, and Heliolisk!"

"Wow! I've never seen a Heliolisk before!" Ash held up his Pokedex, which quickly scanned the lizard-like Pokemon.

"Heliolisk, the Generator Pokemon, and the evolved form of Helioptile. Heliolisk produces enough energy to power a large building and recharges by spreading its frills."

"So I'm guessing you're an electric-type trainer, then?" Clemont nodded. "Crap." Ash thought about his current team; he had Froakie, which was a water-type, and Charizard, which was a fire-flying type; both were weak to electric attacks. Pikachu was also electric, which meant it wouldn't take much from Clemont's Pokemon, but the same applied to them.

_Hm...I'll have to keep looking for Pokemon along the way, I guess. _

"I'm sure you'll be fine, Ash. I'll wish you luck when we actually battle. I'm looking forward to it already."

"Me, too."

"Pika!"

"And besides, type is significant in battles, but there's a lot of strategy too. Your Pokemon have to be able to dodge attacks, react to what happens, and that's all up to you to tell them what to do. It's not just about brute strength and type advantages, you need to know the other trainer's habits, too."

Ash nodded, as he watched Clemont take a device out of his bag.

"What's that, Clemont?"

Clemont smiled, and his eyes seemed to sparkle.

"As an electric-type trainer, I also have an affinity for machines. I like to think of myself as an inventor, and this is one of my contraptions! Remember how we discussed knowing other trainer's habits?"

"Mhm..?" Ash wasn't quite sure where this was going.

"Well, this machine, which I call the Trainer Encyclempedia, keeps track of data on trainers in the world by scanning battles which have been recorded online and then spitting out their habits; things like which Pokemon they like to use, which moves those Pokemon use, and all that fun stuff. It's really useful!"

"Wow!" Ash's eye's widened. "Can we try it out," he asked eagerly.

"Of course," Clemont said with a flourish.

"Clemont...are you sure about this?" Bonnie asked tentatively.

"What do you mean _am I sure about this_? Since when do my inventions _not _work?"

Bonnie made as if to answer, but thought better of it; she did, however, move slightly away from the device.

"Well, now, which trainer should we look up...how about you, Ash?"

"M-me? Um, okay," Ash replied. He was actually quite curious about what the machine would have to say about him.

Clemont quickly typed in Ash's name, and the machine began whirring. Ash saw videos of his battles in the previous Pokemon Leagues whiz by in fast forward.

"Whoa! It's actually scanning everything!" Clemont nodded proudly.

"Er...Clemont? Is it supposed to be shaking around that much?" Serena pointed towards the Encyclempedia, which was shaking violently all of a sudden. At the same time, she moved into the farthest corner of the room, with Bonnie.

"Um..it's never done that before...let me-" Clemont's sentence was interrupted with a loud _bang. _

Through the smoke, Ash heard Bonnie sigh exasperatedly.

"You guys better get used to this."

* * *

**Again, sorry for the absurdly slow update! I'm finding this story a lot harder to write, not necessarily because I don't know what to write, but I'm not sure which ideas to mix and match together. Hopefully, you guys will enjoy this little chapter. Usually, I'd write a long little note here, but I'm not feeling it today. **

**Also, sorry for those of you who wanted this fic to be just Ash and Serena traveling together; yes, Clemont and Bonnie are now here. HOWEVER, before you kill me, let me assure you that they are only going to be traveling with Ash and Serena until Ash finally battles Clemont in Lumiose City's Gym. I just felt that as I was writing the story, the two of them needed a couple traveling companions to really help steer them towards each other. In Serena's case, she's too shy and unsure of herself to really take initiative, and in Ash's case, he's too stubbornly focused on one goal to see anything else. Clemont and Bonnie will serve as minor character to help them figure out where they stand in terms of each other. **

**From this point on, it's going to be pretty different from the anime, although I may use episodes as scenes if I like them. **

**For those who reviewed the story, thanks! **

**satosere 4 life: Serena doesn't get a Milotic in the anime, I'm pretty sure. Only in here, unless another fanfic has given her one. **

**Red: Yup, Charizard's back, and actually back in action in this chapter. I know I made it ridiculously strong, I just thought it would make sense. However, Ash will be keeping to his word, and only using Charizard when he has to. Yeah, Lysandre was a bit random. Team Flare is going to be irregular at this point in the story; they'll be more important later. :)**

**SilverGamerGirl: thanks! I'm glad you like the fic so far :) I'm planning for her to catch it as a Feebas, and slowly grow it until it evolves into a Milotic. I also totally agree that Milotic is just absolutely beautiful :) fav Pokemon by far, and so underappreciated. **

**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Chapter 5

After the fiasco that was Clemont's invention, the four travelers quickly split the girls into one room and the boys into the other, cleaned themselves up, and retired for the night.

"RING RING RING! RING RING RING!" Ash threw off his covers and leapt out of bed as he heard a mechanized voice yelling.

"WHAT IS THAT SOUND?!" He yelled. "SOMEONE STOP IT," he continued, but to no avail. The annoying ringing kept going.

Groggily rubbing his eyes, Ash quickly glanced around the room, waiting to adjust to the sunlight.

_Clemont's bed is empty, and there's nothing that seems to be making the noise in here, so what could it-_

His thoughts were loudly interrupted by someone being shoved back in the door to the room.

"CLEMONT! I TOLD YOU I DON'T NEED YOUR STUPID ALARM CLOCK TO WAKE UP!"

Ash saw Clemont fall backwards into the room, with Bonnie angrily yelling at him and Serena following behind, a look of concern on her face. Bonnie was holding an alarm clock, which seemed to be the source of the noise. The clock seemed to be bipedal, at least Ash thought it was, until Bonnie tossed it to the ground, mercifully ending the endless droning.

"Well, I'm glad _that's-_" The broken clock exploded on the floor, interrupting Serena before she could finish her thought.

* * *

Once Bonnie had finally calmed down, the crew quickly packed up their things, thanked Nurse Joy for the stay, and headed back out onto Route 5. The sun was out in all its glory, and radiant beams lit up the path towards Camphrier Town.

Serena pulled out her town map and tapped Camphrier Town on it to zoom in and get a closer look at what was available.

"Ooh, it says here that you can 'taste the ages' here at Camphrier Town. There's also a hotel we can stay at, as well as a boutique! Ooh, and it says something about Snorlax, too?"

Clemont looked over at the screen to see what she meant.

"Let's see what it is?" He reached over and tapped the screen where Serena was pointing. "Hm..there's a Snorlax Harvest Festival each year. I wonder if we'll be lucky enough to be there when it happens? I've never heard of it before, though, and I've lived in Lumiose City my whole life. Have you heard of it, Bonnie?"

The girl shook her head.

"Nope. I guess we can ask when we get there?" The other three nodded, and Serena put away her map. Not long after, they encountered a large brick arch, with a sign above the opening indicating that they had reached their destination.

"Looks like we're there, guys! Time to get my second badge!" Ash turned and pumped his fist to the group, before sprinting through the arch. Serena, having already been used to Ash's habits, simply shook her head and smiled wryly before following, while Clemont and Bonnie were left behind.

"Wait! Ash! Wait for us!" Clemont sprinted after them, with Bonnie in tow.

"Big brother! Slow down! You've never really ran in your life, there's no way you can catch up to them!"

Her words would prove prophetic, as Clemont barely made it into the city before he found himself out of breath and panting. "Where could they have gone...Oh! There they are," He pointed to a spot just a few yards in front of them, where Ash and Serena were chatting with a woman who appeared to be a resident.

"Ash! Wait up.."

"Oh! There you guys are! We were just getting directions to the-"

"NRAWWWWWWRRRRRRRRR!"

A loud noise suddenly reverberated throughout the city, causing everyone to cover their ears.

"Gah! What is that horrible sound," Serena exclaimed as it finally subsided.

"Hm..it did sound familiar," Ash mused. "But could it be..?"

The villager sighed.

"That was probably Snorlax snoring."

"Snorlax?" All four travelers responded in unison.

"Mm-hmm." The woman nodded her head. "I'm sure you've heard of the Snorlax Harvest Festival. Usually, it's a couple weeks before now, but…" She trailed off, before her mouth widened into a small smile. "Well, I'll tell you about the festival first. Each year, Snorlax comes down from the mountaintop to eat any and all leftover roots from our harvest."

"Isn't that a bad thing?" Bonnie interrupted quickly while dodging away from Clemont's reprimanding hand.

"Bonnie! What have I told you about interrupting people!" He turned back to face the woman. "Please excuse my sister's manners. You were saying?"

"Well, not at all! Those are just leftover roots and crops that we either don't need or won't use. So if Snorlax doesn't eat them, they'd just go to waste anyways! Also, as Snorlax digs up the roots, he's actually plowing and aerating the soil for us so that we can begin preparing for the next year's harvest. Then, once Snorlax is done eating, we hold the Snorlax Harvest Festival, to show our gratitude to Snorlax for its help. The Festival is just for one night, and there is food from the just-completed harvest, as well as music and performances and dancing for the night. At the end of the festival, the Lord of Shabboneau Castle plays the Poke Flute, Snorlax finishes up eating whatever else it wants, and then bumbles back up the mountain to its home."

"So what's wrong this year?"

"Well..follow me." They walked about a block to the center of the city, where she pointed at a large, sleeping Pokemon.

"Aha! It _was _a Snorlax!" Ash said.

"Snorlax, huh?" Serena had never heard of one, so she pulled out her Pokedex.

"Snorlax. The Sleeping Pokemon. After eating its fill, Snorlax is too sleepy to move. Small children sometimes play on its belly."

Bonnie giggled.  
"Sounds like you, big brother," she whispered as she danced away from her brother again. "Wait…" Bonnie scratched her chin in thought. "Did you say there was dancing?"

The woman nodded. "Along with the performances, there's ample opportunities for people to dance right here in this square!"

"Is it like, a formal dance? Where a boy has to ask out a girl to the dance?" Bonnie pressed her for more answers.

"Um..well, I guess, kind of? You don't _have _to have a date to dance, but I have heard of some people doing it. Why do you ask?"

Bonnie clapped her hands. "Great! Clemont, we're going to find a nice girl here in this city for you, and you're going to bring her back with us to Lumiose City!"

"Er...Bonnie, let's not make that the focus, here. We came here cause Ash wanted to get his second Gym badge, and the lady _did _say that you don't _have _to have a date. I can just go out and dance with whoever's there!"

"Ugh, Clemont…"

"And the festival could be any day; what if Snorlax wakes up tonight? Then the festival would be tonight, and I hardly think you will be able to convince a girl you met to come be my date on the same day you met her."

"Clemont, can I tell you something?"

"What?"

"I hate when you use logic."

Everyone laughed at this. Serena looked shyly at Ash, having had her interest piqued at the thought of having a date. She didn't notice that Ash was blushing ever so slightly, and was trying very hard not to glance at her as well.

"What about you, Ash? Are you going to look for a date?" She hadn't meant to put it that way, fearing that it would be a bit too direct.

"I don't know...how about you?" Ash's mind was working furiously.

_How do I hint that if she were to go with someone else, I'd be uncomfortable with it?_

"I'm not really sure...I guess we should take care of the Snorlax situation first, right? If we don't, then there's no festival to worry about, so dates wouldn't matter, right?" Serena cursed inwardly at herself.

_You big dolt! You blew your chance...now Ash is going to be all worried about figuring out how to wake up Snorlax, and asking you to be his date isn't even going to be on his mind. _

"Oh..right. Yeah, I guess you're right." Serena thought she heard a tinge of disappointment in his voice, but was sure she was making herself believe that he sounded disappointed that she was so dismissive about the whole date thing. "Anyways," Ash turned to address the woman, who had watched the whole exchange amusedly. "What's wrong this year?"

"Usually, Lord Shabboneau plays the Poke Flute to wake up Snorlax when the Festival is about to begin. But this year...he's just been flatly refusing to come to this year's festival. We don't know why, though. Everything is prepared already. All the food from the harvest, and the performers, and the stage materials are ready; but we can't do it without Snorlax awake. Not to mention, the snoring is bothering everyone."

To which Snorlax answered with another gigantic snore.

"RAWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR"

"GAHHHHH!"

* * *

It had been Serena's idea to go find Lord Shabboneau to come down and play the flute. The woman had pointed at a large, green, almost medieval looking-castle on the top of a mountain, and so Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie found themselves standing in front of a large wooden door at the base of the castle.

"HELLO?" Ash yelled at the door. There was the faint sound of footsteps, and Serena involuntarily shuddered and shifted closer to Ash, while Bonnie leapt behind Clemont. The door slowly creaked open, revealing…

An old butler.

"Hello there. How can I help you young 'uns today?"

Ash stepped forward.

"We'd like to speak to Lord Shabboneau, on behalf of everyone in Camphrier Town, and on behalf of the Snorlax!"

"Pika!" The mouse trilled from Ash's shoulder.

"Well, come on in. I cannot promise that he will grant your wish, however. Many have tried already." The butler turned and motioned them into the castle, and they followed into the great castle.

Inside it was dark and musty. It seemed as if no one really maintained the place, and their footsteps echoed and bounced off the walls and through the room. Suits of armor decorated the spaces along the walls, along with paintings and portraits of what they presumed were descendents of the Shabboneau line, or whoever had ruled in the castle previously.

Eventually, they reached a large room with a curtain covering one side of it. The butler approached the curtain and, with a flourish, pulled a cord to open the curtain.

"Without further ado, I present to you the king of this castle, Lord Shabboneau!"

Behind the curtain, on a plush, velvet throne, sat Lord Shabboneau. He was quite fat, covered in a royal cape adorned with jewels and with a royal crown atop his head. His round face seemed to fall downwards, and, Ash noticed, he didn't seem to have a neck.

"Shabboneau, bon bon, so tell me, what brings you to my castle home here in Camphrier Town? My butler says you are not from here."

Serena stepped forward.

"We need you your help!" Ash followed her.

"Yeah! We need you to play the flute at this year's harvest festival like you always have!"

The Lord jumped from the throne and began walking away with surprising agility for one of his size.

"That topic is _not _up for discussion."

"Please, sir, come back!" Ash yelled after him.

"Snorlax is sleeping in the middle of the town, and its snoring is disrupting everything! It's too loud, and no one can get any sleep or get anything done because they spend all day covering their ears to shelter themselves from the noise!" Clemont yelled.

"Oh? Is that Clemont?" The Lord poked his head back out.

"Er..yes? I'm sorry, have we met?" Clemont was surprised; the Lord hadn't noticed him until he spoke.

"Ah...so you made the trek from Lumiose. Well, I would like to help you, but...I'm deathly allergic to something on the flute, so I can't play it. I'm very sorry."

But Ash wouldn't relent.

"Then why don't you just give _us _the flute, and we can play it?"

"Oh, oh, um, well, I was so deathly allergic to it that I had to throw it away!"

"What? You threw it _away_?" Ash repeated in shock. The butler, at this point, deemed it appropriate to step forward.

"Lord Shabboneau...I understand that you are trying to protect your family name. But...these children seem eager to help. They seem to truly just want to wake up the Snorlax, and return life to normal for everyone. So, perhaps this time, you should tell the truth."

Shabboneau stroked his moustache.

"Oh...alright. I don't have the Poke Flute in my castle at this time. I'm afraid she just grabbed it."

"She..?" Serena and Bonnie looked at each other, but Shabboneau wasn't pointing at anyone.

"Yes. Princess Allie of Parfum Palace. Their castle is just out of town, and her family was here for a visit. She has a..tendency to declare things hers, and once she does, there's no convincing her otherwise. I would have tried to stop her, since the Flute is a family heirloom, but...her father has been very kind to me. I couldn't scold her in front of him, and so...she just walked out with the flute, a couple of weeks ago."

The travelers looked at each other and sighed.

"Well, I guess we need to go to Parfum Palace now. Can you show us the way?"

* * *

Parfum Palace was, put simply, amazing. There was a courtyard that seemed to be double the size of Shabboneau Castle in front of the Palace itself, and the Palace put Shabboneau Castle to shame, not only in terms of sheer size but in style and presentation as well. There was a large pool in front, with a bridge arcing over it and leading to the front door, and the building itself looked to be multiple floors up, with Roman styled pillar designs on the outside walls between windows. The courtyard had two mazes, one on each side, along with multiple grassy areas, presumably for sitting.

"Wow..what a giant garden!" Serena said. Suddenly, a Pokemon dashed out of one of the bushes. It looked familiar…

"Is that a Furfrou?" Clemont asked. "I think it is."

"That's a Furfrou, too?" Ash yelled. "It doesn't look like the one I saw at all!"

"Yes, that's because it's been groomed. There's a salon in Lumiose City just for Furfrou grooming; I assume this one belongs to someone in the Palace, as it's been very well groomed."

"Ahhh haha!" A high-pitched girl's voice rang out in the courtyard, and the Furfrou turned towards it. The group's heads turned and followed the Furfrou, where they saw a short girl in a pink dress. Her dress had a heart in the center, and she wore white, frilled arm sleeves and gloves, topped with a silver tiara embedded with jewels. "Furfrou, dear, you shouldn't be playing with trash like them! You might get sick!"

Ash bristled at this.

"Hey! You calling us trash?" Clemont shook his head at Ash.

"What he means is, uh, might you be Princess Allie?"

The girl smirked at this, but she still hadn't even looked at the group of travelers.

"Hahaha! Yes, I _am _the beautiful Princess Allie! Parfum Palace is my home."

Serena sighed and whispered to Ash, "Getting the flute back might not be so easy!"

Ash had to smother a snicker before making a straight face.

"Princess Allie..we really need that Poke Flute back."

"Not going to happen." She said, back still turned.

"Um, can we ask _why_?" Clemont tried.

"Because my things are my things, things that are given to me are my things, and anything I take is mine. All mine! So no, you can't have the flute."

_Yeesh. What a brat_, Ash thought. Judging by the looks on the other's faces, they agreed with him.

"But-"

"No buts! It's _mine_!" She finally turned to face them. "And nothing you can do will change my mind!"

"Er, but-" Ash tried to think of a counterargument.

_But she's so basic that I can't argue normally! _

"Wait a minute…" Her eyes settled on Ash. "There is, perhaps, one thing. Yes." She narrowed her eyes at Ash. "You said you were after the Poke Flute?" They nodded. "Very well then. I will give you the Poke Flute...if the boy stays here to be my prince!"

"WHAT?" Ash shook his head vigorously while the other three yelled out in protest.

"No way!" Serena could feel her blood beginning to boil "There's no way you're taking Ash from-" She had to stop herself before referring to Ash as _hers._ "From us," she clarified.

"Yeah! You can't just take someone like that!" Bonnie offered, and Serena was glad that no one seemed to have caught her verbal stumbling.

"Well, then. Fine. How about we have a battle? My Furfrou against whatever lame Pokemon you have. We'll wager the Poke Flute and your boyfriend!"

"W-what? I'm not her boyfriend!" Ash stammered, blushing furiously. Serena's heart dropped at how quickly he rejected the idea, but she decided to play along.

"Yeah! But anyways, if a battle will get us the Poke Flute, then let's do it!" Serena responded. Ash felt _his _heart drop at how willing Serena was to reject the idea of him as her boyfriend...but they both pushed their thoughts away independently to focus on the task at hand.

Princess Allie smiled mischievously.

"Fine, then. One of you four battle me, and the wager is the Poke Flute on my end, and the boy on your end!" She giggled uncontrollably. "Let me remind you, this is going to be the only chance you have to get your Poke Flute back!"

Ash stepped forward, a determined look on his face.

"Alright, then, I'll-" He was interrupted by Serena pulling him back.

"No, let me fight this one."

"A-are you sure?" Ash was surprised; rarely was Serena so adamant about things.

"Yes. Don't worry. I'm not letting a little scumbag like _her _take you from me." Noticing her slip, she blushed, but quickly steeled her face again to hide it. "Fennekin and I can handle her."

"Of course you guys can. I believe in you, Serena." Ash nodded and patted her on the back as he stepped back and she stepped forward.

"Hey! You two! Me and Clemont are still here, you know!" Bonnie interrupted, and the two turned to face her and her brother sheepishly.

"Well, here goes," Serena said, before the awkwardness could set in. "Fennekin, go!" She tossed out her ball, and out popped Fennekin in a familiar red glow.

"Fen!" It chirped, before exhaling smoke from its nostrils.

"Furfrou! Let's do this!" Princess Allie pulled a fan out from her frilly pink dress and pointed to the space in front of her, which had become the de facto battleground.

One of Princess Allie's servants moved in between the Pokemon, holding her hands up.

"Battle...begin!" She quickly announced while stepping off the battleground.

"Fennekin, start with Scratch!" Fennekin leapt through the air, and its front claws began glowing as it reared back to strike.

"Furfrou! Bite!" As Fennekin was about to land and claw its opponent, Furfrou opened its mouth, clamping down on Fennekin's outstretched paw.

"Fenn!" The fox screeched out in pain as Furfrou shook its head, dealing more damage before throwing Fennekin back across the field.

"Fennekin! Are you alright?" Serena yelled as she ran to attend to her Fennekin.

"Kin…" It moaned as it slowly got to its feet.

"Can you still battle, Fennekin?"

"Kin!" It spouted a few flames from its nostrils in answer, before darting back to the center of the field.

"Alright, Furfrou. Time to finish this off. Charge Beam!" Allie commanded. Furfrou glowed bright yellow, before opening its mouth and releasing a sizzling beam of pure electricity.

"Fennekin! Dodge it, and use Ember!" Fennekin jumped nimbly to its side, spitting out a pillar of flame as it leapt. The flames leapt and licked at Allie's Furfrou, causing it to yelp in pain.

"Furfrou! Get out of those flames!" The Pokemon dutifully made its way out of the flames, but not without taking significant damage.

"Good job, Fennekin. Now, let's finish this. Scratch!" Fennekin leapt again, and Allie laughed.

"Ha! You know that's not going to work! Furfrou, prepare to Bite!" Furfrou opened its mouth, snarling at the fox which had just burned it.

Serena mentally slapped herself.

_What would Ash do here.._

Ash was actually watching from the sidelines, and he knew Fennekin was in trouble when Serena commanded it to use Scratch again.

"Serena! You have to adjust on the fly! You can't keep using the same moves; use them in different combinations! Mix things up! You know what Furfrou's going to do to counter Scratch, now it's your turn to counter with something!"

Serena's eyes lit up at Ash's words.

_You know that Furfrou's going to use Bite…_

"Fennekin! Furfrou's mouth is exposed, quickly, use Ember!" Fennekin opened its mouth, just before it was going to collide with Furfrou, and shot out flames from its mouth once more.

The flames hit right on Furfrou's face, leaving it scrambling for the nearest water fountain. When it finally reached one, it plunged its body in, dousing the flames, but leaving a clearly exhausted Pokemon in the fountain.

Allie looked on in disbelief, as did the servant who was acting as a referee.

"Furfrou is...unable to..battle? Fennekin..wins?"

"Yes!" Serena exclaimed, pumping her fist. Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie quickly rushed to her side to congratulate her.

Fennekin made its way back from the battlefield, clearly exhausted. Serena knelt down to give it a quick hug.

"You did great, Fennekin. I'll work harder to get better at battling so you won't have to get hurt like that again."

"Fenn…" Fennekin suddenly started glowing white, and its features became blurred in the glow.

"Wha...what's going on? What's happening to Fennekin," Serena screamed in worry.

"It's okay, Fennekin's just evolving!" Ash and Clemont comforted her simultaneously. Fennekin's fox-like shape slowly pulsed, changing from a quadruped to a bipedal stance, and its body seemed to lengthen. Finally, the pulsing slowed down, and the glow began to subside.

Serena took out her Pokedex and pointed it at her new Pokemon.

"Braixen. The Fox Pokemon. It has a twig stuck in its tail. With its tail, it sets the twig on fire and launches into battle."

"Braixen…" Serena giggled a little before hugging the Pokemon to her. "Thanks for everything." She got back up and turned to face Allie.

"Now, the Poke Flute?" Ash asked politely, but Allie only laughed in response. "What's so funny?"

Allie finally composed herself enough to answer.

"I only said that we were wagering the Flute and you, not that if you won, you would actually _get _the flute! So no Flute for you! Hahaha!" She continued laughing manaically. "This is my mansion, I get to make the rules, so that's how it goes!"

"What…" Ash, Serena, and Bonnie were lost for words.

"You can't just do that! Even I know what a wager means, and it means that if you lose, you have to pay up!" Bonnie yelled indignantly.

"But I _can _just do that! This is my mansion, and I get to make the rules!"

"Is it really _your _mansion, Allie?" They all turned at this. Someone seemed to be walking into the courtyard from the castle, and his voice, although not loud or harsh, had a quality that demanded attention.

Allie turned to the man the voice was coming from, and ran to him and started crying.

"Daddy! They came here and started yelling at me and beat up my Furfrou because they wanted to take my Poke Flute from me! Can you get them in trouble?" She sobbed loudly and obnoxiously into his shirt, but managed to pause long enough to smirk at the crew.

But her father shook his head.

"Allie, I've told you before that lying is bad. I saw everything that happened. Now, what could make your need for the Poke Flute so great that you'd be willing to bet one of your group for it?" The man ignored his crying daughter and addressed them directly.

"Mr. Parfum, we really need the Poke Flute because Snorlax has fallen asleep in Camphrier Town; it's holding back the Snorlax Harvest Festival, but more importantly, it's causing a huge disruption in the city with its snoring. People can't sleep, and they can't focus on work when their eardrums are being assaulted by Snorlax's snoring, so please, sir; we just need to make sure the Snorlax wakes up. Then you can have the Poke Flute back, even. We're just trying to help out the town." Ash bowed his head respectfully, and waited apprehensively for a response.

The man twitched in thought, before nodding.

"Very well. You four are quite admirable. Had I known the significance of the Poke Flute, I would have returned it to Lord Shabboneau in an instant, but when Allie took it from his castle, Lord Shabboneau did not stop her. I apologize for our ignorance; since we live outside the town, we've never celebrated this festival. Servants, the flute?"

Two of the servants bowed hastily and ran towards the palace.

"Again, thank you for bringing this situation to my attention. I will deal with Allie, but my servants should be back with the flute in a few moments. And, if you ever pass by again, feel free to knock on the door; I would invite you to share a meal, or at least tea, but you seem to have a more pressing issue as of now. Good luck." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and marched towards the palace, dragging a protesting Allie closely in tow.

"Well, that worked out rather well," Ash said, chuckling nervously to the group.

"Hmph. I can't believe she thought you'd stay here with her." Serena couldn't help adding, folding her arms across her chest.

"Ash was only going to stay if you lost, and we all had implicit faith that you were going to win, 100%, Serena!" Bonnie piped up.

"Yeah! We knew you wouldn't lose to some brat like her," Clemont added.

"Mhm. We knew you could do it, Serena!" At Ash's comment, she finally smiled and uncrossed her arms.

"Thanks, guys, but I was really nervous...thank goodness it's all over now. Oh, look! That must be the flute." One of the servants was hurrying over with something wrapped in fabric. When she finally reached them, she bowed and held the thing out with both her hands.

"The Poke Flute is yours, as Master Parfum wishes. Do with it what you will."

"Thanks." Ash took it from her, and she bowed again before turning back towards the palace.

"Alright! Now let's go wake up Snorlax before it gets dark," Ash yelled, high fiving the other three and then dashing off towards Camphrier Town.

"Ash! WAIT! Clemont can't keep up!" Bonnie yelled, but the boy was long gone, even though the other three had dashed forward with him initially.

"Just...go...without me…" Clemont rasped from behind. "I'll...catch up…"

* * *

The festival was everything the travelers had hoped for. Lord Shabboneau had accompanied them to Camphrier Town, and the Poke Flute had instantly woken up the Snorlax. The people of the town, who were ready to begin at a moment's notice, quickly wheeled out their carts and trailers full of food that had been prepared. A makeshift stage was quickly set up in the town square, and at all times, some group or another was on it performing. If the people of the town weren't dancing to the music being played, they were watching whatever was unfolding on the stage. It truly was a festival for the ages.

When the festival had started, the four had started off going through the food carts to look for things to eat. Ash and Serena already had filled their plates with food, and motioned to Clemont and Bonnie that they were going to go look for seats to watch the performances. Clemont made as if to follow, but a quick slap from Bonnie, who whispered something into his ear, made him stop.

"We'll find you guys later; save us some seats! Bonnie still wants to eat," Clemont shrugged his shoulders before following his sister back into the crowd.

Ash and Serena finally found an empty table, pulling a couple extra chairs from the next table so that Clemont and Bonnie would be able to have a seat as well.

"Phew, it's nice to be able to finally sit down and relax, huh, Serena?" Ash breathed a sigh of relief as he sipped his drink.

Serena nodded.

"Yeah, it's been quite a day, hasn't it."

"Mhm. What with the possibility of being stuck in that palace with Allie forever..." Ash shuddered at the thought.

"Oh, don't worry. I was never going to let her keep you; there was no way I was losing that battle, Ash."

"Heh. Thanks. I'd much rather be stuck with you than her…" Ash accidentally thought out loud.

"W-wha?" Serena wasn't sure what she'd just heard.

"Um...was that out loud? I just meant that I'd rather be with a friend than with that brat," Ash scrambled to cover up his flop.

"Oh..okay. Ooh, look, the next group is coming up!" She pointed at the stage, eager to change the subject, and both their eyes turned from each other to the stage.

They sat in a comfortable silence as they watched the show in front of them, unaware that they were being watched.

"Are they doing anything?" Bonnie asked Clemont, who was reluctantly looking through his binoculars at them. The two were perched up on a tree branch, overlooking the square.

"No. They're just sitting there, chatting, and watching the show. What did you expect?" Clemont sighed.

_Of course I'd let her drag me into this. _

"But it's so _obvious _that they like each other! Gah! Haven't you been seeing it?"

Clemont nodded, exasperated.

"Yes, but I don't think we should be doing this, Bonnie. Let's make sure our suspicions are right before we try anything, okay? We've just met them; I don't want to make things awkward by trying to set them up, and then we realize that they're just really good friends."

Bonnie pouted, but saw the sense in what her brother was saying.

"_Fine. _But if we see any more signs, I'm just going to tell Serena that Ash likes her, in front of him, and I'll tell _him _that _she _likes _him _too."

Clemont silently facepalmed himself.

"Let's hope we dont have to do that"

* * *

The emcee took the mic, announcing that this was to be the last performance of the day.

"It's going to be a slow song, so if you've been waiting for the chance to dance with that special person, this is it!

Ash and Serena looked at each other again. They'd thoroughly enjoyed the evening; talking about the events of their journey so far, telling each other about their past and present, and taking in the performances on the stage. They had been having such a good time, they hadn't even noticed that Bonnie and Clemont were still yet to rejoin them.

_Seems like my chance...I'm pretty sure I like her, but I've never known how to express that. Maybe this will work?_

"Um...I'm not sure how to say this, but...would you like to dance, Serena?" Ash grinned awkwardly. "Did I say that right?"

Serena blushed furiously and looked away.

"I guess you did?"

"Hah. So...is that a yes?" Ash tentatively probed. He watched as Serena took a deep breath, before turning back to meet his eyes.

Smiling, she nodded.

Ash got up and held out a hand, which she took, and led her out to the square, where there were already countless couples dancing together.

"So..I gotta confess, I have _no _idea how to dance." Ash said sheepishly.

"What, no one ever taught you?" Ash shook his head.

"Well, I guess I can teach you what I know, which isn't much." She took his right hand and put it around her back, doing the same with hers, and then taking his right hand in hers. "This is the basic stance…"

They stayed and swayed to the music together, each not quite sure what to say in the situation, but also enjoying it immensely.

"So does this make me your date for this festival?" Serena asked Ash all of a sudden, unable to keep the thought from bursting to her lips.

Ash's mind flashed back to the moments he'd had with May back in Hoenn. He still kept the wooden Teddiursa doll that she'd given him, and the ribbon half was hung up in his room as well. Now that he hadn't seen May in months, he sometimes found himself regretting not trying to take a step further with her.

But he hadn't felt that twinge of regret ever since he'd started getting to know Serena. He looked into her eyes and saw nothing but earnestness, and realized that he'd never felt this strongly about anyone before, not even May.

And he wasn't going to miss out on this chance again.

"Yeah, it does." He was about to pull her into a hug, when they heard a loud crash. They turned to look for the source of the commotion, and doubled over with laughter when they saw what had caused it.

Bonnie and Clemont had fallen out of the tree they were spying from.

* * *

Because they had gotten the Poke Flute back and "rescued" the city from Snorlax, the Hotel Camphrier offered them a free stay for the night. After the festivities had wrapped up, the four of them had volunteered to help clean up, and by the time they checked in to the hotel, it was well past midnight. Bonnie was basically sleepwalking, and Ash, Serena, and Clemont weren't faring much better.

"Alright, Bonnie and Serena, looks like you guys are on the fifth floor, and me and Ash will be on the sixth floor."

When the elevator dinged and opened for the fifth floor, Bonnie and Serena made their way out.

"Goo...night…" Bonnie managed to drool out her slack mouth. Serena took her hand and led her out of the elevator.

"See you guys tomorrow!" She waved at Clemont, then Ash.

She held her breath as her eyes met with Ash's, and they didn't break eye contact until the elevator doors closed between them.

* * *

**Again, sorry for the super slow update; school's been crazy, and now that it's almost over, it's going to just get more and more hectic. If I don't update again in the next couple weeks, blame finals. I'll be better during the summer. Anyways, as always, enjoy and comments/feedback/CONSTRUCTIVE criticism are always appreciated!**

**Eevee: sorry this was a slow update; hope you love this chapter as much as you've loved the rest of the story so far!**

**HunterZinfected: you're right; I must have had a brain fart. I've gone back and changed that passage. Thanks for pointing that out!**

**The Detective of South-East: I'm sorry you think that only the last chapter was a fine one; thanks for telling me what I can improve on, though. **

**Lastly, let me just say that I haven't really watched much of the anime before this season, so if I make mistakes like "Charizard doesn't yell its name, it just roars", I'm sorry, but I really just don't know better. I didn't think it'd be such a big deal, but one reviewer said that it was detracting from the quality of my story. I'll try to be better about it, but just letting everyone know, I will probably make a couple (or even a few) mistakes like that in the future, so please don't hold it against me!**

**-elementaryprincess**


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